Percy Jackson's Final Stand
by nicoandbianca
Summary: Years after the defeat of the Earth goddess, 52-year-old Annabeth, who lives in New Rome, receives a letter from an old friend whom she haven't talked to in months, but after all that's happened, could she handle the blast from the past? Join the crew of the Argo II on their most dangerous, heartbreaking, thrilling adventure yet!
1. The Letter

Annabeth woke up to the sound of birds. It was a beautiful morning. She glanced outside her window to see the beautiful city of New Rome. The terraced gardens, the fountains and temples, the winding cobblestone streets and gleaming white villas. Annabeth vividly remembered the morning 45 years ago when the _Argo II_ had landed in the middle of the city.

Annabeth did her morning routine. Despite being a 62-year old woman, Annabeth had promised herself to do at least one hour of sword fighting every morning. Some days she did them with her children, other days it was with an aspiring child of Rome. Before she made it past her villa, a mailman had a special delivery for her. A letter. Now, Annabeth received urgent letters often. Her mother Athena made it a habit to write to her, but Annabeth had noticed that the man wasn't Hermes, the messenger god who took care of the god's letters. Annabeth thanked the mailman and headed back inside.

She tore open the letter to find it from her old friend, son of Jupiter, Jason Grace. She hadn't talked to him in years. Annabeth's mind searched for a reason that he would contact her. Finally she read letter:

"Hey Annabeth,  
I know we haven't talked in many months, but I was hoping that we would reunite once again. I have business in New Rome the upcoming Tuesday and I was hoping to stop by for some tea at the Jackson household, and catch up on the time we spent apart.  
Can't wait to see you again

Love,  
Jason Grace"

 _Tuesday_. Annabeth thought. _That's tomorrow_.


	2. The Knock on the Door

Tuesday morning wasn't so great. The November chill was stronger. A snow storm was expected to come in. A big part of that might have been the nervous energy from the visitor she was expecting _. Jason Grace._ Last time Annabeth saw him was- She stopped herself. She had promised to never think of that day again.

Annabeth threw out her morning routine out the window today. No sword-fighting. No attending the senate meeting. No stroll on the Bacchus garden. She stayed home and baked Blue chocolate chip cookies, and put some Green tea in the kettle. Just as the cookies were ready, a knock on the door was heard. Annabeth opened the front door and here he was. Jason. His blonde hair was now streaked with gray. His once fresh face is now filled with worry lines and wrinkles. One thing hadn't changed all those years: his startling blue eyes.  
"Hey Annabeth. Long time no see"


	3. The Reunion

Jason gave her a hug that lasted by Annabeth's estimate, a minute and a half.  
"Come on in, Jason" She said as she finally let go. Annabeth led him through the guest room, but decided that was far too impersonal for someone like Jason. They settled in the kitchen, where Annabeth had offered him fresh green tea and a batch of cookies.

"Blue cookies" He studied the plate "Percy's favorite" His smile immediately turned into a look of guilt. "I'm so sorry, Annabeth. I didn't mean to-"  
"It's fine, Jason." She lied "Really. The other day I was reminiscing about our old _Argo II_ days."  
"Lately, that's all I've been thinking about"  
"We're turning into old people" She admitted "And that's kind of what old people do. Just have those weird flashbacks pop out of nowhere. I remember Hazel used to tell me about her blackouts, now I'm beginning to feel some of my own"  
"What do you think about the most?" Jason asked "Other than the _Argo II_ days"  
"Oh, man, remember the repair days?"  
Jason scuffed "Now that's a story"


	4. The Repair Days

It was two days after the Romans had left for Camp Jupiter. About twenty Romans had remained to help out Camp Half-Blood. Annabeth had a feeling that they had felt guilty because the ruined camp was partially their fault. She wished that Hazel, Frank and Reyna would stay too, but the Legion wouldn't function without its two praetors and centurion.

The war had pretty much destroyed everything west of the lake. More than half the Cabins, the Mess Hall, the Arena, the Armory and the Stables were all ruins. Being the architect of Olympus, campers tended to turn to Annabeth for orders on how the camp would be repaired, and to be honest, she kind of loved it. She had a couple of ideas in mind that hopefully would make the camp more efficient to demigods, but she wasn't ready to share just yet.

Fortunately, the Athena cabin had survived the fight. With a lot of the other cabins turned into piles of rubble, the Athena campers had to let the Apollo campers, whose cabin had literally turned into a pile of ash, stay in with them. Her siblings weren't thrilled by the idea, since the Apollo kids were kind of the Anti-Athena, though she and Will were on good terms, besides most of them had to help out in the infirmary from dawn till curfew so Annabeth got a lot of time on her own in the cabin, redesigning the fallen buildings, and calculating the costs of the process. Annabeth had hoped that there would be enough money left over for her own project, but she doubted it's possible.

That morning after breakfast, which they spent at the amphitheater since the Mess Hall was reduced to nothingness thanks to Gaea, she had stayed in her cabin drawing sketches of the new Mess Hall, Percy came in. His jet black hair swept back, his green eyes reminded Annabeth of the beach. He had a few scars and cuts on his face from the fight, but they were fading. He glared at her with that look that she had admired for years. The look of confusion. He was staring at her scrolls and notes, and she knew that he didn't understand one word.  
"Morning." He finally announced. "Already doing your homework I see. Man, Athena kids are restless. This would have taken me months."  
"Don't you have somewhere to be? A sword fighting class I recall?"  
"Nah, Jason is leading it. I wanted to spend time with you." He hopped on her bunk making himself at home  
"That's sweet of you" She put down her SMART Board pen and turned to him. "We shouldn't stay here alone though. You know the rule"  
"Right. We don't want to get 'grounded' again by Couch Hedge" He said "How about a stroll on the lake?"

Percy held Annabeth's hand as they walked around the lake. They talked mostly about what had been going on at camp. She felt this urge to tell him her plans, but she knew how stubborn, optimistic and insistant Percy can be, so she decided not to.  
"Have you noticed how Nico is acting lately?" He asked "Around Will Solace. Especially around Will Solace."  
Annabeth knew nothing more than to read people, and there was no one she could read clearer than Percy. Like the smile he gave when he is about to do something wrong, or that poker face he shared when there something bothering him.  
"Is that a tone of jealousy?" She grinned at him  
"What?" He snapped "No. I'm just happy for him. Really. I haven't seen him smile since he used to play with Mythomagic."  
"Everyone deserves a little happiness." She said "Especially him. He's been through so much"

They stopped and laid on the grass. The wind blowing Percy's hair made him look a bit like his dad, Poseidon, but younger and more clumsy-looking.  
"So when do you think the camp will be back to normal?" He asked.  
"Before Christmas"  
"For the record," He said "I've never told you how happy I am to spend this whole year with you" he turned to his side so that he's facing her now. She did the same. Their faces were about an inch apart. She was about to lean in and kiss his salty lips, but just then Clarisse came over and dumped a bucket of ice cold water on them.  
"You two are making out while we work." She complained "Now does that seem fair?"  
"We're up" Annabeth said as Percy pulled her up. "I'll go finish the Mess Hall. I'll meet you guys at lunch" Percy gave her a kiss on the cheek, and she ran back to her cabin.

Two days later, she had visited the Big House to show Chiron her finalized projects. He studied the sketches and graphs, despite her promise to not think of her _other_ project, it kept running through her mind, questioning the possibilities.  
"What's on your mind, Annabeth?" Chiron asked. She knew she couldn't hide it from him. He'd known her since she was seven, besides he'd taught generations of heroes. He probably knew exactly what she was thinking about, but he wanted to make sure.  
"I- it's nothing"  
"I know that look Annabeth. You're hiding something. Just say it"  
"I know you asked me to just rebuild the original buildings that we had, and you even gave me a privilege to add my own touch being an architect, and I'm really grateful"  
"But?" He raised an eyebrow  
"But," she sighed "when I visited Camp Jupiter, I became self-conscious about how small Camp Half-Blood was. They had this huge areas for fighting. They had buildings twice the size. What I'm saying is... What do you think about expanding our property? Maybe even create a new city like New Rome, but Greek. A New Sparta or something?"  
"I don't know if camp has the funds for such a huge project." He studied her again. She felt a lump in her throat, but she suppressed and kept a stern face "But, I love the idea. If by a miracle you can raise enough money, I will gladly approve it."  
Annabeth's feelings just came rushing out. She was always successful at keeping her emotions hidden, but she couldn't believe that Chiron had approved. She ran and hugged Chiron so tight, _she_ had trouble breathing.  
"Thank you _so_ much" She finally let go. "You're the best"  
That night Annabeth couldn't sleep, she sketched buildings and columns in her mind, not to mention drawing out her future with Percy. If her project ever succeeded she would live in Camp Half-Blood, go to university here, have a family and grow old. All she had to do is acquire enough funds.

The next morning, Annabeth visited the strawberry fields. She knew that the strawberries were the sole source of profit for the camp. She saw Pollux, and a son of Bacchus from Camp Jupiter, and some Demeter and Ceres kids tending the crops. She approached Katie Gardiner, who was using her magic to make the strawberries ripe.  
"Hey Katie"  
"Morning Annabeth." She replied "Do you have strawberry picking duties today?"  
"Not exactly. I was kinda wanting to ask you how much of the fields were affected by the war?"  
"Oh. None at all. We had a few burnt plants, but we took care of it"  
"That's great" Annabeh paused "Do you know how much strawberries you pick a day"  
"We pick about eight baskets a day, we take them to the city right before dusk. We don't want them to go bad. Buyers tend to be picky."  
"How much does a basket go for?"  
"About $75, so roughly about $600 a day"  
 _Not enough._ Annabeth thought.  
"Thank you Katie. I'll catch you later"  
"Glad I could help."

Annabeth ignored her "expansion" project for the next couple of days. She focused on supervising the Hephaestus kids rebuild the fallen buildings that she had designed. Now, you could say what you want about Hephaestus kids being antisocial, but they could work incredibly fast. It took the amount of work that mortals would normally finish by two months, two _weeks._ It takes a lot to impress Annabeth, but she was obviously stunned. It took a total of two months and a half for the Camp to return to its original state, with a pinch of Annabeth's architectural touch.

One day, Annabeth was helping with the renovations in the Arena. She was placing a few straw dummies in the field when Percy came in rushing. He stopped in front of her and nearly collapsed trying to catch his breath.  
"Percy, what happened?"  
Percy breathed in. "Ran all the way from Zeus's fist." He took another breath "You have to come see this"  
"What _is_ it?"  
"Can't explain. Just come with me"

Annabeth and Percy ran through the forest. Zeus's fist was located at the very north close to Long Island Sound. Annabeth noticed nearly half the camp running the direction of Zeus's fist. Million ideas went through Annabeth's mind about what might be at the rock. Could it be Gaea waking again? A visit from an Olympian God? Alien attack? She had no idea.

As they approached Zeus's fist, which frankly was just a pile of rubble stacked up. It was given that name because if looked from the correct angle, it resembled a fist. From every other angle, it was just a huge stack of rocks. There was nothing on top, but campers crowded around a bronze figure sitting in the bottom of the hill. Could it be? _No._ Annabeth thought. _Nico himself said it was impossible for Leo to be back._ Percy and Annabeth pushed through the crowd until they reached a bronze dragon. Festus. For weeks, campers searched for parts of Festus the dragon that should've been destroyed and scattered around camp, but not even a nail that belonged to the bronze dragon was found. Now, standing before them, was Festus. He had a few scratches and wires sticking out, but other than that, he looked as if he had never faced an explosion that put the Earth Goddess to sleep forever.  
"I don't understand. How-" Annabeth turned to Percy "How is Festus _here?_ And why now?"  
"You're worried about Festus?"  
"What are you talking about?"

He grabbed her wrist and led her to the other side of the dragon, where even more demigods were gathered. She saw two figures. Leo Valdez in the flesh. He had cuts, burns, open wounds and bruises on every inch of his skin, but other than that he looked like he hadn't battled an unkillable goddess a few weeks ago.

Nico Di Angelo, Piper and Jason stood around him, all with surprised faces. Jason kept rubbing his eyes every so often as if to make sure it wasn't a dream. Leo stood with huge grin on his face, his eyes were as crazy as ever. His hands were twitching and shaking, as if he'd overdosed on caffeine

Everyone was quiet. There were whispers among the campers in the back, but Annabeth ignored them. Finally, Piper broke the silence  
"L-Leo?"  
"In the flesh, beauty queen" Leo replied  
"W-W-H-How"  
"Remember the Physician's cure that we got from Ascelpius? Kind of had Festus inject it into my skin after the explosion"

Piper was still stunned. All of them were, for that matter. No one spoke for a while, and then, out of nowhere, Piper threw herself at Leo. Piper and Leo crumbled to the floor and she viciously started attacking him, ripping his shirt into shreds and creating even more cuts on his face and arms.  
"LEO VALDEZ!" She screamed "You-you-How could you?! We thought you were dead for weeks"

She continued punching and hitting him, until Leo shot Jason a look that Annabeth assumed meant _Get your psycho girlfriend off of me before I die again._ Jason started to lift Piper but she struggled even more. Annabeth finally unfroze, and realized that she should be helping Jason out. Together they managed to pull Piper away from Leo, and she stood next to Jason again, panting and with a maniacal look. Moments later, she dropped to the ground and started to sob.

"Oh no." Leo said as he got to his knees and sat next to her.  
"I'm so sorry, Pipes." He apologized "I really didn't mean to, but it was the only way." He hugged her tightly, and kissed her on the forehead. It wasn't a romantic kiss. It was the type of kiss a brother would give his sister.  
"I never meant to hurt you, I swear." He looked up at Annabeth, Percy, Jason and said "Come here, guys. I missed you"

Everyone got to their knees and shared a group hug, then Jason and Percy shot a look at Nico  
"You're part of the group too, Nico" Percy said  
"Which makes you part of group hugs" Jason said as he held out his arm inviting him in, and Nico shot him a look that probably meant _Do I really have to do this,_ but he finally budged and got to his knees too and all of them all hugged tightly.

That moment made Annabeth realize that she had everything she's always wanted right then and there as she surrounded herself by the people that she loved most in the world. Nothing could possibly ruin this amazing moment, but as always, the Fates just loved laughing at Annabeth's face.

After everyone pulled away, a girl climbed down Festus. She had caramel hair, braided over one shoulder, dark almond-shaped eyes which were trying to take in everything around as if she was seeing everything for the first time. Her face appeared timeless, like a goddess, but she didn't have the aura of power a goddess usually possessed. She was wearing a white sleeveless Greek dress with a low circular neckline trimmed in gold.

Annabeth turned to Percy, wanting to ask him if he knew the girl, but before she could he muttered "Calypso"

"Hello, Percy Jackson"


	5. The New Addition to the Family

Annabeth led Jason into the living room. A huge couch lay in the middle, on the right side stood a bookshelf that contained at least a hundred books, all of which Annabeth read. On the left side of the couch was a tiny coffee table. The couch faced a cozy fireplace with a small fire.

Annabeth poked the wood and invited Jason to sit on the couch by the fire. It was a cozy November afternoon. It doesn't snow in California much, but according to the Hephaestus TV's OW channel, there was a snow storm coming in.  
"You should stay here for the night" Annabeth announced "Luke's bedroom is empty. I haven't been in his room for a while, but it should be cozy enough to sleep in"  
"It's fine, Annabeth" he replied "I could stay in at Calypso's"  
"I'm not letting you leave in this weather, Jason" She protested "Besides Calypso's got enough to worry about. Me on the other hand, well nothing special has happened in my life for months"  
"I'm sorry, I'll stay." He touched her hand and paused "Hey, remember when we first met Calypso?"  
"At the Dinning Pavilion." Annabeth shook her head "Oh gods. Who could forget? Percy was _furious_ at me for two days"

Annabeth stepped in the middle of the girl and Percy. She had spent her whole life studying people, but it didn't take a genius to sense both history and chemistry between them. Annabeth remembered the day after Percy had come back to Camp Half-Blood when she had thought that he had died on Mount Saint Helens. He said that he was on some island, but she knew that it Ogygia. The prison island of the banished Titaness, Calypso.

Annabeth turned her back on Percy and faced Calypso. She had seemed way more in shock than she had led on a few moments ago. She seemed confident, and completely moved on from Percy, but now that she can see her face, she noticed her left eye twitching softly, and something in her eyes: Heartbreak. She was about to say something to the sorceress, but was stopped by Piper. "I think that we should _all_ take this to the Dinning Pavilion. It's time for lunch"

The Hephaestus kids carried Leo on their shoulders to celebrate his bravery and courage during the great sacrifice he made to stop the Earth goddess, Gaea. Annabeth felt the urge to go walk beside Calypso and ask her about the unusual encounter with her and Percy a few moments ago, but she thought it wasn't the best time.

During lunch, Annabeth sat at the Athena table as always, but she couldn't take her eyes off of the girl that had arrived with Leo, Calypso. Annabeth didn't know what to make out of her. She looked so much like a goddess, but she didn't radiate an aura of power the way a goddess does. If she hadn't arrived at camp with Leo, Annabeth would've thought that she was a threat. She sat with Leo at the Hephaestus table. They were holding hands while eating, but Leo was too busy talking to his siblings about his adventures, which made Calypso a bit too uncomfortable. She looked like a sinner at a church, with her delicate and girly physique, meanwhile the Hephaestus kids (With the exception of Leo) were extremely buff and muscular because of all the time they spend at the forges.

Annabeth glanced at the Big Three Table, where Percy, Jason and Nico sat. She exchanged a silent conversation with Percy. Over the years they learned to read each other's looks and completely understand what the other was saying. The exchange went a little like this  
Annabeth: Is that Calypso? _The_ Calypso?  
Percy: Yeah. That's her, the girl Leo stayed with when he was blasted off the _Argo II_  
Annabeth: I don't know if I trust her, Percy.  
Percy: Oh come on, look at her. She wouldn't hurt a fly.  
Annabeth: Percy, she's an immortal sorceress who supported the Titans in the first Titan war  
Percy: She was forced to. Her father was Atlas.  
Annabeth: Zoë Nightshade was a daughter of Atlas, too, but she stood on the gods' side  
Percy: It was different for her  
Annabeth: Why do you keep defending her?  
Percy: Because she saved Leo's life, Annabeth. Besides, you're being awfully judgmental  
Annabeth: No it's because she saved your life, too. Three years ago.  
Percy: You knew?  
Annabeth: Of course I knew, Percy, and if I wasn't sure then, I am sure now.  
Percy: What?  
Annabeth: The way you looked at her this morning, Percy. Everyone could tell there was a long history between you and her.  
Percy: Why are you even saying all of this? That was three years ago. We've both had a long time to get over each other. Don't tell me you're being jealous of her.

Annabeth then turned angrily back at her food. She couldn't be jealous. Percy and her were in a committed relationship. They literally had been through hell together and Percy couldn't possibly cheat on her. She trusted him with every inch of her body, but her mind kept generating possibilities.

When her brain couldn't stand it no more, she got up. She moved towards the center of the dinning pavilion, with a drink in her hand. Everyone's eyes were centered at her, but she didn't care. Then she started speaking, "As the head counselor of the Athena cabin" She announced "and a friend of Leo's, I would like to officially welcome Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus and a hero of Olympus, back. He had been the bravest of us all. When the most difficult portion of the defeat of the Earth goddess came, he didn't hesitate to sacrifice everything, even his own life. His minds, wits and bravery had put Gaea, the Earth Goddess, in a deep sleep for all of eternity, preventing her wickedness from resurfacing till the end of time. I want everyone to raise a glass in honor of Leo, who I am truly and genuinely happy to see smiling and laughing alongside his siblings, his friends and-" She paused and looked at Calypso "I'm sorry I didn't get your name"  
"Calypso" She replied  
"And Calypso, who hopefully will be our newest addition to out family" Annabeth continued "Cheers!" She raised her glass and took a sip while everyone followed.

She looked at Percy again, who was giving her a look that meant _What in Poseidon's underpants are you doing?_ But she just ignored him and walked toward the Hephaestus table, to face the threat up close.

"Hey, thanks" Leo told Annabeth "But you shouldn't have done that"  
"It's kind of a tradition to give a speech when someone comes back from the dead" Annabeth replied "This one time, about three years ago, Percy had caused this huge explosion on Mount Saint Helens, and I thought that he died, so when I went back to camp, I poured my heart out in this speech to honor his death and his bravery, then I look up and I see his face right in the middle of the crowd listening to me eulogizing him, and I just blurt out 'There he is.' I never knew where he disappeared to, he always said it was some remote island, but I never believed him."  
"Wait. Remote island?" Leo asked "Three years ago?" He turned to Calypso "Is that-"  
"Yes" she interrupted him  
"What? What is it?" Annabeth asked  
Calypso took a deep breath "I don't know if Percy have ever told you this, but when he blew up Mount Saint Helens, he was sent to my prison island, Ogygia. The island of Ogygia was cursed, because it only sent me heroes I couldn't help but falling in love with. I took care of him for a few days until he regained his strength, and I really tried to push my feelings back, but I finally admitted to him how I really felt, and forced him to choose between escaping his Great Prophecy by staying with me or going back to his life. Naturally, he choose to come back to his friends, and- and you." She paused "I'm really sorry, this isn't how I wanted your first impression of me to be like. I've heard a lot about you from both Percy and Leo, and it's really an honor to finally meet you."  
"Thank you, and it's fine. It wasn't your fault that he never told me the truth" Annabeth replied "I kind of suspected it in the back of my head. Besides, that was three years ago. I can't hold a grudge that long. I really hope that you and I get along"  
"Me too." Calypso smiled "Hey, since you're a head counselor, and you've been at Camp Half-Blood for years, I was hoping you would know where they would place me."  
"Well," Annabeth replied "We haven't had an immortal sorceress and a titaness at camp before, but don't worry, we'll find a place for you. You can stay at the Big House for now. Maybe you can stay with our Oracle of Delphi, Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She's really nice, maybe I could introduce you"

"Thank you, but Leo had already promised me a tour of Camp Half-Blood"

"Well, if you need anything, you can always find me in Cabin six"

Annabeth decided to go back to the Athena table before she got in trouble for sitting in the wrong table, again. She still didn't trust Calypso, but the way she just told her the truth immediately sparked a sense of sympathy. She knew the feeling of rejection, but sympathy wasn't enough to win over Annabeth's trust. The doubts she had when she was fourteen about Percy ending up in Calypso's island were true.

Annabeth turned to Percy to see him staring furiously at her. She knew what she has gotten herself into by talking to Calypso, but she didn't care. She just confirmed that Percy and Calypso had a history.


	6. The King of Meddling

Jason sat in silence on the couch with Annabeth to his side. She seemed broken inside, reminding him of the Annabeth he first met, back when Percy was sent to Camp Jupiter, except this time, she had lost all hope of ever returning to him.

He took a bite of the cookies Annabeth had just took out of the oven. They weren't top-notch, but they were delicious. If Jason had to pick a favorite food, it had to be cookies. Specifically, chocolate chip. Cookies were always the taste that Jason generated from Ambrosia. The cookies in his mouth forced Jason into a flashback: The last time he had to eat Ambrosia, and it _wasn't_ because of a monster.

It was raining outside the Camp's borders, but since camp's weather could be controlled, it was just a regular October night. Jason sat on Long Island Sound beach. He wondered if he should've invited Piper, but he knew he needed a moment for himself to think about today: Leo, his best friend, had come back from the dead. After weeks of thinking and accepting the fact that Leo was gone, he comes back with Festus the dragon, and a girlfriend, the titaness Calypso.

The beach was quite. He half-expected Percy to be there, since that's the regular place for a son of Poseidon to come, but he was alone. Or at least he thought he was. Jason decided that it was best to make a fire, before it got too dark. There was no moon that night, and Jason didn't have a flashlight handy.

He gathered old firewood used for beach campfire singalong, and made a small fire. He laid down next to it and stared at the beach, admiring Poseidon's domain of power, then at the starry moonless night, admiring his father's domain of power.

He laid down alone for about three minutes, but just as he turned around to check the fire, he saw a figure in the shadows. For a brief moment, he thought it might have been a visit from a god, since gods tended to make a creepy entrance on unwanted visits. The figure stayed quiet for a while. _Gods_ , Jason thought, _of all nights to forget his glasses, it had to be tonight._ He tried to focus, but he couldn't make out the face. But he established that it was certainly the shape of a guy.

When Jason couldn't wait anymore, the figure finally said "What a day, huh?"  
Jason immediately recognized the voice "Nico?"  
"What?" Nico turned his head to face him "You couldn't recognize me"  
"I don't have my glasses." He replied "It's getting kind of annoying forgetting them all the time. I'm thinking of getting contacts"  
"You can't be serious"  
"What's wrong with contacts?"  
"Nothing." He paused "You should know that I kind of lied about Leo's death"  
"What?"  
"When I said I felt his death, and that he was gone" He continued "I didn't get the feeling I usually got when a soul passes to the Underworld. I immediately knew he wasn't dead, but I was never sure. That's why I lied to you about him being dead"  
"I understand." Jason said "You didn't want to get our hopes up, and then finding out that he was dead all along."  
"So you're not mad?"  
"I can never be mad at you. You're one of my closest friends"  
Jason could barely see Nico's face, but he was sure he saw him smiling.  
"So," Jason sighed "How's your _special_ doctor doing?"  
"What?"  
"You know"  
"I seriously have no idea what you're talking about"  
"Oh come on," Jason said "Don't even try to pretend there's nothing between you and Will Solace"  
"He's been nice to me," Nico stated "That's it."  
"If I recall correctly," Jason raised an eyebrow "A recent crush you had, who happened to be a son of the sea god, was nice to you when he saved your life from a manticore"  
Nico turned and punched Jason on his chest. "This is the last time I ever tell you _anything"_ Nico stood up  
"Oh come on, I was just goofing around" Jason said "Just sit back down"

He hesitated but he obliged. He sat back down, this time closer to the fire so that Jason could see his face clearer. Jason was delighted to see Nico's skin color start to turn into a normal olive color instead of sickly pale. You could still notice some bags underneath his eyes, but they're starting to fade. His brown eyes finally appeared to have some life in them. He was wearing black jeans, with black Converse shoes and an Orange camp shirt underneath a leather jacket . His Stygian iron sword slung to his side, and he had his skull ring on his finger.

"I like him" Nico broke the silence  
"I knew it"  
"Shut up, Grace"  
"Kidding. So you really do like him?"  
"Yeah, and this time, I feel like I have a chance." Nico admitted "It's not like I'm in love with a guy who's in love with another girl, or he's more like a legacy and a fantasy than a real person"  
"I'm glad for you" Jason told him "And if you need anything-"  
"No!" Nico stopped him "You are not meddling again. You will stay out of this"  
"I never meddle"  
"You're the king of meddling"  
"When have I ever meddled?"  
"The time we met Cupid, and I was forced me to admit to you my crush on Percy"  
"That was completely Cupid's fault"  
"Okay, what about when Leo called me creepy aboard the Argo II, and you started screaming at him"  
"I did not scream" Jason snapped "I was just being a good friend"  
"Whatever, Mr. Meddler"  
"Okay fine," Jason laughed "Maybe I meddle a little, but I really want you to be happy with Will"  
"I'm repeating this again, because I _know_ you didn't hear me the first time: You will _not_ try to get Will Solace to like me, okay?"  
"Fine, I won't" Jason paused "What are you even doing on the beach so late?"  
"I wanted some time to think, and the Hades cabin didn't seem like the right spot. What are _you_ doing out here?"  
"Same as you" Jason stood up "But, we both should get back. It's almost curfew"  
"Good idea." He got up "See you tomorrow at breakfast, Grace"  
He walked into the shadows. Jason wasn't sure if he shadow-traveled or he just walked back to his cabin in the dark.

Jason was walking back to Cabin one. The campers were getting ready to go to bed, everyone rushing to their cabins and getting into their bunks. He passed Hermes cabin. It used to be _huge._ Supposedly, before they added the new set of cabins, all unclaimed demigods, or children of minor gods and goddesses would stay in Cabin eleven, but now, after the renovations Annabeth had placed, it was just a regular sized cabin. She figured that there was no need for the extra space anymore.

Jason passed by the Aphrodite cabin. He thought of taking a stroll with Piper, or even going to the Zeus cabin roof together, but he decided it was better not to. It was past curfew already, and he didn't want to get Piper in any trouble. He passed by the Cabin nine. The Hephaestus kids were still talking loudly, completely ignoring curfew. They were still thrilled about the return of their head counselor, Leo, and Jason was sure the deadly harpies would make an exception.

As usual, Cabin eight, the Artemis cabin, was empty. Jason kept thinking about Thalia, his sister. He hasn't talked to her, or even heard from her in weeks. That was something he had to investigate on starting tomorrow. He passed by the Apollo cabin and resisted the urge to just knock on the door, ask for Will Solace, and take him to Nico Di Angelo. _Whoa,_ Jason thought _, maybe I am a bit of a meddler._

When Jason passed by Cabin six, he saw Annabeth and Percy probably saying goodnight. They were facing each other, holding hands, and then both slowly leaned in for a kiss. The Ares cabin creeped Jason out. It was badly painted red and had a large boar's head over the door with barbed wire on the roof. Thinking about all the deadly weapons, and possible land mines surrounding the cabin forced Jason to walk faster. The Demeter cabin was quiet. Jason never had a strong opinion of the Demeter kids, Miranda and Katie, but they were nice enough to him. The cabin itself hadn't changed after the war, since it was farther on the east.

The Poseidon cabin faced the The Long Island sound, which made Jason instantly jealous. It was empty for now, but the sight of the cabin made Jason remember Percy's half brother, Tyson. He never talked to him before, but he thought it would be interesting to meet the general of the Cyclopes. Cabin two was empty as usual. It needed some serious dusting, but for once, that wasn't his problem. Maybe the OCD god terminus could take care of it, if he ever took a vacation from guarding the Pomerian Line back in New Rome.

Lastly, Cabin one. Jason hated the fact that Zeus's cabin felt more like a temple than a home, or the fact that it wasn't destroyed in the war against Gaea, so that it could be renovated along the other cabins. He had asked Piper to help him out with redecorating the inside of the cabin. Maybe get the Zeus statue - which frankly looked more like a hippie version of the real Zeus- out front instead of right smack dab in the middle of the room.

As he approached his home, he started to see the figure of a guy standing out front. He couldn't make out the face yet. _Okay._ Jason thought, _I seriously need contact lenses._ He walked faster, curious about who was waiting outside. As he got closer, he started to see vague details like blonde hair, green shirt, dark jeans, tan skin. Will Solace? What was he doing outside Cabin one?

"Can I help you?" Jason asked as he approached Will

"Hey," Will answered "I know we don't talk a lot, but I just wanted to talk."

"Um, yeah. Sure. Why don't you come in? The cleaning harpies will be out in a few minutes"

Jason led Will through the polished bronze doors of Zeus' cabin. Even though Jason loved Camp Half-Blood, he never quiet considered the cabin his home. It never felt homely. It was always cold. There was absolutely no furniture, except a sleeping bag, two folding chairs he got from the Big House, and two books on the floor.

He invited Will to sit down on the chairs. They weren't even the least bit comfortable, but they were better than nothing.

"How can you _sleep_ in here?" Will asked  
"I get by." Jason said, "I'm thinking or redecorating, making this place actually suitable for a living organism, but that doesn't matter right now, you needed something from me?"  
"Yeah, um." He hesitated "You're one of Nico's close friends, right?"  
"You could say that"  
"So, we both know how stubborn and self-contained he can be."  
"He has his own way of interacting with people." Jason admitted  
"Well, I'm the complete opposite. I'm an open book. You can ask me anything, and I'll tell you. Nico, he's so hard to understand. I don't know where he's from. I don't know if he has any family other than Hazel Levesque. I don't know _anything_ from his past, or what kind of person he is"  
"Look," Jason said "If you're here because you're looking for answers, I don't think I would feel comfortable sharing his secrets. You'll have to find out about him on your own."  
"No, you misunderstood. I know this wouldn't be the right way to learn about Nico."  
"Then why did you come here?" Jason asked  
"I was kind of hoping you would help me figure out something about myself. If you managed to understand Nico, the most secretive, reticent demigod of _all_ time, you would understand basically anyone"  
"Um," Jason hesitated "I'm not so sure _understand_ Nico"  
"You're the closest anyone got"  
"Debatable... but, what exactly do you need?"  
Will took a deep breath "Have you ever gone thinking something about yourself, but then you meet this person who makes you question if the way you were living was completely wrong?"  
"Absolutely. You'd be surprised how much my friends have changed me. Why do you ask?"  
"Well, from the moment I met Nico and befriended him, it felt completely different. He didn't feel like a normal friend. I felt sort of- This is really hard to say to an acquaintance, but, I felt _attracted_ to him. The way I was attracted to my first _girl_ crush in fifth grade"  
"Wait, are you saying that you have a crush on him?"  
Will stood up and paced around the cabin, then he finally stopped and said "Yes. No. I don't know. Maybe? That's why I came here. You helped Nico figure out who he is"  
"Wait, you know Nico is gay?"  
"Yeah, he told me when he stayed in the infirmary. We were making small talk, then we started talking about crushes and relationships, and that subject- of him being gay- sort of came up."  
"Figures."  
"Children of Apollo have this ability to see the future. It's not clear, and it never makes sense." He sighed "From the _moment_ I saw Nico, I got a vision."  
"Well, what was it?"  
He took a deep breath "It only lasted a second, but I saw myself, about thirty, rocking a baby to sleep. Then, a guy comes in the room. I can't remember his face or what he was wearing, but I do remember his eyes clearly. When I snapped out of the vision, I stared into Nico's eyes, and they were the exact same eyes of the guy from my vision"  
"Whoa." Jason straightened his back "Wait, what happened after Nico came in the room in your vision?"  
"I have no idea. The vision stopped there. For all I know, he was there to murder me"  
"Or he was there, because the baby is his, too. Look, I'm not saying I'm an expert at these stuff. Frankly, I suck at romance. I owe my relationship with Piper to Aphrodite. She orchestrated our relationship from the start, but I'm getting off-topic. What I'm trying to say is, follow your heart, Will. Listen to what it's trying to tell you. It's right almost all of the time"  
"What if it's wrong?" Will asked  
"Then you would've given it your best shot"

Will took a deep breath. He paced around the room, thinking, then he finally came to a stop. He sat on the foldable chair next to Jason. "Thanks." He said "Sorry I kept you up all this time, man. I know we have to wake up early tomorrow."  
"We do?" Jason asked  
"Yeah. Capture the Flag is tomorrow. You're offense."  
"When did I agree to this?"  
"Last week, when we made allies with Cabin seven"  
"I don't remember this." Jason grumbled "Who else was on my team?"  
"Apollo, Ares, Aphrodite, Hermes, Hades, Nike, Hebe, and Hypnos"  
"See, I didn't agree to this. There is no way I picked Clovis on my team."  
"Don't underestimate Hypnos." He reminded Jason  
"Well, we _both_ should get some sleep. See you tomorrow"

Will left the cabin, and Jason went over to his sleeping bag. He started thinking about his earlier conversation with Nico Di Angelo, and his recent conversation with Will Solace. _Did Jason just meddle?_ Jason thought. _Nah, it was for the best._ They both had a crush on each other, and they were going to end up together, and they'll have Jason to thank.

Jason fell asleep thinking. He wants to say he woke up to the sound of birds chirping, or the sun shining in his cabin, but mornings are never that perfect. He woke up to Nico Di Angelo crouching next to him shaking his shoulder.  
"You promised, Grace." He bellowed as he stood up  
Jason said something like "Whaaa, I-I-"  
"Last night. Your conversation with Will Solace. He came in that night and told me everything you talked about with him."  
Jason rubbed his eyes, and stood on his sleeping bag, "Nico, I-"

Before Jason could finish his sentence, the earth below Nico started opening. A fissure in the ground of the cabin grew. Jason felt the temperature in the room drop like 50 degrees. Jason started shivering immediately. Jason looked at the ground again to see a layer of frost forming. The sunlight in the room dimmed so fast, the room was completely covered in layers of shadows. Jason looked at Nico again. He was turning pale. The twinkle in his eyes started fading, and that was the last thing Jason remember.

Jason woke up in the infirmary, to the face of Will Solace.

"What happened?" Jason asked  
"You passed out in your cabin." Will replied "Nico brought you in here. He said it was his fault. He got infuriated at you, and when he gets angry, he radiates fear, the temperature drops around him, and shadows surround him."  
"Yeah, I noticed."  
"Why was he mad at you?" Will asked, as he was walking over to a doctor's table. There were a bunch of papers, pills and solutions lying around.  
"Um" Jason hesitated "Long story. What time is it?"  
"It's 10am. We got enough time to get you up for the game."  
"The game?"  
"Seriously, do you have like a memory problem or something?"  
"Oh, yeah. Capture the Flag. Sorry my head is _not_ in the game"  
"Clearly." Will brought over a Ziploc bag of square ambrosia. He took one out and gave it to Jason. "Just take one, and you'll be good enough to run a marathon."  
"Where's Nico?" Jason asked  
"He took off after he brought you in"  
"Do you know where?"  
"Not really" Will replied

Jason took a bite of the ambrosia squares. It tasted like Chocolate Chip cookies. Exactly the ones he used to have in the Mess Hall at Camp Jupiter. It was the one food that truly cheered him up. For a second he forgot he was in the infirmary taken care of by Will Solace.

He jumped out of the infirmary bed, and straightened his shirt. He walked out, and saw Nico Di Angelo, still infuriated. Jason swallowed, and walked over to the angry Italian fourteen-year-old.


	7. The New Romance

**(A/N: Sorry the chapters are getting longer. I figured the plot line would be better with long chapters. Have fun reading!)**

Jason walked over behind the couch and looked out the window. It looked out on a beautiful back yard. Jason vaguely remembered when Annabeth had wanted to grow a huge pine tree and hang a swing from one of its branches. Jason looked up at the sky, and saw clouds moving in.

He turned to the couch where Annabeth was sitting. He touched her shoulder, and asked "Are you cold?"

"I'm from New York." She answered "This is nothing. If you're cold there's some blankets in that closet."

Jason opened the closet Annabeth pointed to. It was so unorganized, it reminded Jason of the days he used to be on inspection duty, and had to scold Annabeth every time for having the messiest bunk. It used to have piles and piles of papers and books. Her bed sheets were never placed correctly. Her whole cabin always blamed her for never getting a perfect score.

This closet had piles and piles of random stuff. He pulled out a binder full of architecture notes. Then he pulled out old dirty socks. He found Christmas ornaments lying around, then finally was able to locate two blankets. They were next to what appeared like more binders, but when Jason focused, they were five albums stacked on top of each other. He pulled them out, and walked over to the couch.

"What are those?" He asked Annabeth

"Oh my god." She took one from his hand "I haven't looked at these in years."

"When did you take these?" He said as he leafed through on of the albums

"I didn't. Chiron loved keeping pictures. He always thought memories should be preserved. If you ever check out his room in the Big House, you'll notice that it's 60% pictures"

"Really? Huh, you learn something new about people everyday."

Jason wrapped a blanket around Annabeth's shoulder. He moved over to the fireplace and poked the fire, then he sat back down next to Annabeth. They both reached over for an album and opened the first page. The first picture was fifteen year-old Nico Di Angelo with Will Solace.

"Man, they look so young" Jason asked "Have you talked to them lately?"

"Last time I visited them was in August."

"How have they been?"

"They're doing fine. We talked about the good old days for _hours_ and _hours_ "

"Oh man, you had to talk about the Friday after Leo came back."

"The Capture the Flag game?" Annabeth chuckled. "Remember our sword fight?"

"I think you had a dagger" They both laughed, immediately sending Jason to another flashback.

"I'm sorry, Jason." Nico admitted "My anger got the best of me. This is why it's dangerous for children to hold grudges."

"Don't worry about it, man, it's not the first time a friend made me pass out. Try sharing the praetor ship with Reyna." Jason paused "For the record, I'm sorry too."

Nico sighed "What you told Will wasn't all that bad."

Jason studied Nico. His skin was extremely pale, maybe even white. His cheeks was so sunken, it made him look like a vampire who hasn't had blood in the past century. He looked as if all his energy was drained out, which might have bee true after what happened this morning. He felt tempted to force Will Solace to take Nico in the infirmary again. He did a really good job of nursing him back to health, but he decided not to meddle.

"I'll see you at seven for Capture the flag then?" Jason asked, hoping to break the awkward silence.

"Sure. Talk you you later."

"No hard feelings, right?"

"No hard feelings" Nico agreed

That night at Dinner, everyone was excited about the Capture the Flag game. Jason had been into several Capture the Flag games, but they were nothing like the Roman war games back at Camp Jupiter. It always got pretty intense with the Romans. It's not like the Greeks were any weaker, but Romans can be pretty serious. Jason heard from Percy about how Gwen had literally died from a war game, but fortunately was brought back. Nothing like that ever happened at Camp Half-Blood.

Despite the fact that Greeks never took their games seriously, he loved the excitement in the air every Friday evening. He absolutely loved the look on new campers' faces when they were told about how the game works. He always wondered how he looked when he played the Roman War Games for the first time.

Percy, Nico and Jason ate dinner. They had made small talk, laughed at a few jokes, but that was it. Nico still looked pale. Maybe a bit blue? Jason decided not to worry about. Nico was extremely strong.

After dinner, Percy and Jason left their tables to get the armors and flags ready. Now, before he and Percy had arrived at camp, the teams were led by Ares and Athena. It kind of made sense. Wisdom versus Strength, but that wasn't the case anymore.

Every camper agreed that they should be led by the two most powerful gods: Zeus and Poseidon, which meant that Percy and Jason were never on the same team. It was a good thing considering that they would argue a lot on strategic approaches.

Jason had heard the infamous story when the Hunters of Artemis had came in four years ago, and kicked some serious demigod behind in Capture the Flag game, all because Percy and Jason's sister, Thalia had quiet an argument about who should lead the team. Then after their loss, they got into a serious fight, where Thalia zapped Percy with lightening, and Percy drowned Thalia in the lake. After that, Chiron made sure that Zeus and Poseidon never ended up on the same team again.

Jason always took the right side of the Pavilion, carrying a ten-foot sky blue silk banner, with an eagle and a lightening bolt painted in the middle. Percy entered from the left carrying an identical banner, only it was sea green with a trident and a horse painting. We both rested out banners, then Chiron hammered his hoof on the wooden floor on the Dinning Pavilion.

"Heroes!" he announced. "You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Now for the teams!" He paused and opened a scroll and turned to the right to where Jason was standing "On Zeus's team, we will have: Ares, Apollo, Aphrodite, Dionysus, Hades, Hypnos, Nike, and Hebe" He then turned to where Percy stood "Poseidon's allies for tonight are: Athena, Hephaestus, Demeter, Hermes, Iris, Nemesis, Tyche, and Hecate"

Chiron then waved his arms, and revealed the armors and weapons on the dinner tables. Percy and Jason moved to the middle, shook our hands and announced the official start of the game.

"Blue team," Percy yelled "To the north side of the forest!"

"Red team," Jason yelled to his team "Off to the south!"

Jason's team marched to the south, with Piper and Nico at his side.

"So what's the plan?" Piper asked

"I've got something in mind" Jason replied "You'll see. What time is it?"

"7:07" Piper answered "We got three minutes"

Jason turned and faced the campers. They were roughly about thirty kids on his team. "Alright," He yelled "The flag is gonna be placed at the right flank immediately next to the creek border. Visible enough for the team, but no one will expect it. Sherman and Mark from Ares are the direct defenders of the flag. Hypnos and Apollo are defense of the right flank. Dionysus and Hebe will divert the offense of Poseidon's team into the left flank. The rest of Ares and Aphrodite are border patrol. Nike, Piper, Nico, Solace and Clarisse will come with me as offense. Watch out for Annabeth's invisibility cap, keep an eye for the Stoll brothers, watch out for Hephaestus traps, and keep in mind that water is Percy's territory. Everybody got that?"

As if on cue, the conch horn sounded again, announcing the start of the game. Jason and the rest of his offense team ran for the border. "After we get through border patrol," Jason whispered as they ran "Holly, Clarisse, Laurel and Klaus, you guys get the right flank. Nico, Piper, Will and I will get the left. Go!"

They split and ran in different directions. The eastern side of the creek didn't have much defense. Jason immediately thought that the flag was on the left flank, but then again, he can never trust Annabeth. She might have been using reverse psychology to veer off Jason's team to the wrong direction.

They battled Miranda and Katie from Demeter, Felix from Tyche, Butch from Iris, and Chris from Hermes. All of whom weren't tough to beat. After that they didn't face any border action. They ran for the deep end of the forest. He expected the flag to be placed at Zeus's fist, but Annabeth wouldn't be dumb enough to put the flag there for a third time in a row. _Jackpot._ Jason thought _. Reverse psychology is not going to work on me, Wise girl._

When Zeus's fist came in sight, he directed the others to slow down. "Crouch, and make as little sound as possible" Jason whispered "Don't attack until someone notices you"

Jason reached for his Gladius. They hid behind trees and watched the hill "Do you see it?" He asked the others. He didn't bring his glasses with him _Filius Canis,_ Jason thought _I seriously need to order some contact lenses._

"Yeah," Piper answered in a whisper. She was holding her dagger, Katoptris, in her right hand, her hair was gathered in a pony tail, with a feather sticking out the back of her head. She was sweating from all the running, but she still looked absolutely stunning "I see a green banner at they very top. There's one guard twelve feet from it, and at least a dozen campers at the base of the hill."

"Anything else?"

"There's some bumps in the ground. Probably dug up line mines from Hephaestus?"

He looked at Will and Nico. They both nodded at him, and he nodded back, then Jason cried "Charge!"

The four of them ran towards the base of Zeus' Fist, dodging the land mines. Will had his bow and arrow ready. He stopped ten feet from the enemy line, and started shooting at them. He took down about two guys. There weren't hurt, but they were disarmed.

Piper ran for Malcolm, a son of Athena. He would overcome her easily considering the fact that Piper only had a dagger and he had a sword, but she did a good job distracting him, long enough for Nico to summon five undead warriors.

Jason immediately ran for the top of the hill. It was defended by Candice, daughter of Nemesis. She swung her sword at Jason, which caught Jason by surprise. He felt his heavy breathing from running across the forest. He glanced at the green banner. _So close._ He thought. _Only a few more feet._ He dodged another swing from Candice's sword using his _gladius_ , and knocked her over, sending her tumbling down the hill. He ran for the banner, but was stopped by Annabeth, who came out of nowhere.

She was holding a Yankees Cap in one hand, and a new dagger in the other. After losing her old dagger in Tartarus, the Hephaestus campers had forged her almost an identical one. "You really thought it would be so easy?" She asked "My mother is the goddess of battle strategy, you know what that means? I always win."

"We have a problem, because _I_ always win too. Son of Jupiter and all"

Jason summoned all his will power and called to his father. He looked up, and saw a few clouds forming far above. He raised his _gladius,_ and a bolt arced out of the clouds. It ricocheted off his _gladius_ and blasted Annabeth off her feet. Jason charged at Annabeth who was now on her back, but she just avoided it. She got to her feet, and grabbed Jason by the wrist. She flipped him over, sending Jason to the ground. He got to his feet again, and gave the final blow using his _gladius,_ sending Annabeth tumbling down the hill.

Jason reached over for the banner, and carried it at the top of the hill, announcing the end of the game, but before Jason could taste his victory, he heard Piper shriek "Nico!"

Jason turned around and saw all demigods crowded around the son of Hades. He ran as fast as he could down the hill, tripping a few times, but he didn't care. His friends was in trouble.

He pushed through the crowd of campers, and got to Nico Di Angelo. He was collapsed on the floor, paler than a sheet of paper. Jason instinctively crouched next to him and tried to check for a pulse. "Where in Hades is Will Solace?" Jason shouted.

Jason could feel his blood flow. He could feel the nerve on his temple about to pop. He was so infuriated, it was hard to put into words. He couldn't feel Nico breathing. He thought it might have been it.

"Jason" Piper reached over his shoulder and said in a soothing voice "It's going to be okay."

For a second it worked. He believed it was all going to be okay, but the Charmspeak wore off when he looked back at the body of Nico Di Angelo. Before Jason could answer, Will Solace pushed through the crowd, "Make way people. He needs a breathing space"

He crouched on the other side of Nico, and reached for his satchel. He took out two squares of Ambrosia, and fed them to Nico. Immediately after, he started chanting a hymn in Ancient Greek. Jason had a hard time understanding what it meant, but he figured it was a prayer to his father, Apollo.

"Is he going to be okay, Will?" Annabeth asked. She was standing to his side, carefully watching Nico.

"Annabeth, get me some nectar from the infirmary" Will shouted.

Annabeth started running back to camp, but a sound bellowed "There is no need" Chiron galloped to Will's side and handed him a flask.

Will held Nico's head up and put the flask of Nectar at his lips. "What happened?" Chiron asked

"He drained his energy." Will responded, as he helped passed-out Nico to his drink "He pushed himself to the edge, thinking he could handle it but clearly he couldn't. He thinks he's all-powerful and he can endure everything the world throws at him, but he just can't. He's just-"

"It's going to be okay, my boy" Chiron soothed him.

Will was about to reply to Chiron, but Nico started coughing and choking on his drink of Nectar. He put his head back on the grass. Nico slowly opened his eyes.

Jason heard the footsteps of campers coming in. "What's going on?" they asked. He overheard the voice of Percy and Leo, but he couldn't identify the rest of them. He estimated about half a dozen of new campers crowding Nico.

"Solace saves my life again" Nico said weakly

"And Di Angelo gives me another heart attack" Will replied

"Didn't know you cared so much about me" Nico teased, and managed to sit upright

"Are you kidding me?" Will said in frustration "I've been dropping all these hints that I like you and you never even noticed?"

"You- you like me?" Nico asked in confusion. Jason imagined Nico thinking all of this as a dream, but he pushed that idea aside

Will leaned forward to where Nico sat, and reached over with his hand for Nico's cheek and kissed him.

Everyone in the crowd cheered, but just as Will Solace pulled away, Nico passed out again.

"Get him to the infirmary" Jason shouted, wrapping up the happiest Capture the Flag game ending of all time.


	8. The Songs at Camp

Annabeth and Jason continued going through the album. They leafed through pictures of Leo with Festus the Dragon, Hazel, Frank and Reyna at Camp Jupiter, and a picture of a camp counselor meeting at the Ping Pong table in the Big House.

"It just all seems as if it was yesterday" Jason admitted

"Look," Annabeth pointed to a picture of Will Solace with Nico at the infirmary. Will was helping Nico to his soup. Nico looked pale, but not as much as usually did. "Who took that picture?"

"Oh," Jason reminisced "It was me. I always used to spy on them"

"You _did not_ " Annabeth laughed, as she turned the page. "Remember this?" Annabeth pointed to a picture of Percy, Grover and Jason

"Oh yeah" Jason studied the picture, and remembered how these two got reunited after 11 months of separation.

That night after the intense game of Capture the Flag, and the victory of Zeus' team, everyone- including Will Solace and Nico Di Angelo- gathered for the Apollo sing-along in the center of the cabin. The fire of the huge camp fire soared across the sky, twenty maybe thirty feet above, creating a beautiful golden shade.

Jason sat next Piper, holding her hand. He couldn't help but glance at all the couples at camp that night: Percy and Annabeth, Leo and Calypso, Clarisse and Chris, Coach Hedge, Mellie and the baby, Tyson and Ella, and the newest addition: Will and Nico, all thanks to the one and only Jason Grace.

Will held Nico's hand. They sat shoulder to shoulder singing to "Boom Chick-a Boom" but instead of your normal themes at your regular camp, here at Camp Half-Blood, the themes would be Greek Mythology characters

The Apollo campers started with "I said a boom chick-a boom, I said a boom chick-a boom, I said a boom chick-a rock-a chick-a rock-a chick-a boom, Uh-huh, Oh yeah, One more time... Aphrodite style"

They pointed to Drew Tanaka, who got to her feet and did a dead-on imitation of her mom: Put her hand on her hips, put her chin up high, as if no one else mattered except her, and then started singing "I said like boom chick-a boom, I said like boom chick-a boom, I said a totally chick-a, totally chick-a, totally chick-a boom. Uh-huh. Oh yeah," She paused "Wait where's my mascara?" Everyone laughed as Drew searched her purse "Ooh there it is. Okay. Okay." She put some mascara on and continued the song "Posiedon style!"

Percy got to his feet, coughed a few times and started speaking in a deep voice "I said dude chick-a dude. I said a dude chick-a dude. I said a dude crash those waves, check my babes, chick-a boom." Everyone laughed in unison "Oh yeah. Alright dudes. One more time, Zeus style!"

Everyone looked at Jason. He got to his feet, and tried his best Jupiter/Zeus impression. He could feel everyone staring at him, but he didn't care. He sand in low pitch voice: "I said a boom crash-a boom. I said a boom crash-a boom. I said a boom crash-a flash-a crash-a flash-a crash-a boom." He did a fake explosion with his hands. Everyone laughed "Oh yeah. Alright. One more time, Demeter style!"

Miranda and Katie got up, did a few magic tricks by making the grass beneath them bloom some flowers and subsequently started singing "I said a bloom chick-a bloom. I said a bloom chick-a bloom. I said a bloom chick-a blossom smell those flowers chick-a bloom." They both laughed "Oh yeah, alright. One more time-"

Will Solace got up and gestured for a stop "Alright, thank you guys. Now, a little show from Hephaestus campers" All Apollo kids got up and made the flames of the camp fire die down.

Jason looked up at the clear sky. Not a cloud in sight, even after him summoning that bolt of lightening during Capture the Flag to beat Annabeth on top of Zeus' Fist. It was as if his dad has purposely made the sky beautiful that night. The stars sparkled making Jason wonder about the stories hidden behind each star formation.

He looked to his right, and suddenly the beauty of the night sky didn't compare to the beauty who sat next to him: Piper. She was holding his hand, her head up in the sky. She looked absolutely stunning, even when she least tried to be. Her chocolate colored-hair stood choppy and uneven, yet it took Jason's breath away. She smelled of cinnamon. He could only see her side, but Jason looked into her eyes, and once again tried to figure what color they were. Jason couldn't help but have one thought: _Someday I am going to marry you Piper McLean. I swear it on the River Styx._

She turned to him "What are you thinking about?" she asked

"The future"

"Am I in that future?"

"Are you kidding?" He replied "Of course not."

She punched him in the arm "You suck!"

"I'm kidding." He said playfully "You know I love you, McLean"

"You know I love you too, Grace"

They both looked back at the sky, and immediately the fireworks' show started. It wasn't Fourth of July that day, but Camp felt pretty festive, especially after Leo coming back. Everything felt right in the world, for the first time in forever.

He looked at everyone, and noticed the happiness. Nico and Will kissed, despite the fact that Nico was about to pass out again. Percy and Annabeth gazed into each others' eyes. Jason couldn't help but think about their eyes looking like shattered glass. Ever since they exited the Doors of Death, nothing seemed to heal that broken feeling in their gaze. Jason wondered if that would ever get fixed, but he doubted it.

Jason looked at Piper again. She turned around to meet his gaze. Then suddenly, their lips collided. Jason's fingers dug into Piper's hair as he pulled her closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Jason couldn't stop kissing her. It was as if time paused for them — in that moment it was like the earth had stopped its movement on its axis, and the fireworks stopped sparkling in the clear night sky. The perfect way to end a perfect night.

It was 10:30 PM, and Jason was restless. He was in his cabin, getting ready for bed, but his mind kept racing. He thought about the future. He thought about where he was now, where he would have to be tomorrow, where he will be next year, five years, ten years, twenty years. He decided that all these thoughts would keep him up all night, so he thought he could take advantage of the situation.

He exited his cabin and took a stroll around the cabin arena. Every camper in sight was rushing to their bunk, except Jason. He got distracted when he saw the hearth's fire crackling in the center of camp. It was tended by a girl who looked about twelve. Jason has never seen her before, but her sight made Jason remember all the beautiful memories at his several homes: Camp Jupiter, Camp Half-Blood, even the _Argo II._

Jason didn't realize he was walking until he bumped into Percy.

"Grace," Percy whined "Watch where you're going for once."

"Jackson, don't be a sore loser. Accept the fact that your team lost, and my team won."

"Whatever." He huffed.

"Hey who's that girl over there?" He pointed at the hearth, but the girl had disappeared "Where'd she go?"

"Wait, I know who you're talking about. Twelve year old? Warm smile? Brown eyes? Plain, modest dresses? No makeup? Hair tucked under a linen shawl? You felt a rush of good memories?"

"Yes! Who is she?" Jason asked

"Hestia, goddess of the Hearth. She visits camp to keep our fire going."

"Oh, you mean Vesta"

"Hey man, I don't know Roman names. I can barely keep Greek names in check."

"Why are you even headed that way? Your cabin is the other way around"

"Oh, you know. Checking up on everybody" His voice trailed off "What a true leader does"

"You were gonna sneak in the infirmary and spy on Nico and Will"

"Wha- I-" He stuttered "You know what, your cabin is right next to mine, so _you_ were walking in the wrong direction, too. What were you up to?"

"I was gonna sneak in the infirmary and spy on Nico and Will" Jason admitted.

"We are horrible people."

" _Really_ horrible, but we can't do anything about it, can we?"

"No, we can't. Let's go spy on our best friends"

Jason and Percy snuck through the cabins, between the sleepy campers. They crossed the creek and saw the sky-blue Big House in the distance. The infirmary was located at the very back of the Big House, leaving no chance of them getting caught by Mr. D, Chiron or the Harpies.

They crept near the entrance. The infirmary was completely empty except for Nico's bed. He was asleep, looking almost dead. Will Solace stood near him, and felt his forehead. Just as Will touched him, he flinched and opened his eyes.

"Sorry, I woke you" Will said "Bad dreams?"

"Yeah" Nico replied, and turned his head.

"You could tell me, if you want" Will said as he sat beside Nico on his bunk bed.

"I'd rather just keep it to myself" Nico said

"You know, in Apollo's cabin, we don't get nightmares. Any dream for that matter."

"I've never heard of that. H-How?" Nico asked. His voice was so weak, Jason can barely hear it over the distance.

"We have this song. We inherited it from our dad, who got it from Hypnos. It's magical, and every night, before we fall asleep, we sing it together."

"A song?" Nico said sarcastically "Seriously?"

"Make fun all you want, but music is a powerful thing"

"I'm sorry." Nico coughed "Why don't you sing it?"

"You're just going to make fun of me. Besides, music isn't my specialty"

"Come on. I won't make fun of you. I swear"

Will sighed and started singing "These words, a lullaby. Slow your breath, and close each eye. By verse's end, Lie as lumber, Drift in dreams, In peaceful slumber."

Nico froze. He sat there, stunned. His jaw hung open, as if wanting to speak but not finding the correct words. Jason understood the feeling, but he couldn't figure out why Nico was at a loss of words.

"Nico?" Will said "Are you okay?"

"That song." He said weakly "I've heard it before"

"What? That's impossible. Only children of Apollo know it"

"No .That song. My mother used to sing it to my sister and I before we fell asleep."

"Your sister. I remember her. The hunter, right?"

"Bianca" Nico mumbled and wiped away a tear.

"I'm sorry." Will apologized "I swear, I would've never sang it if-"

"Stop. It's not you. It's just that part of my life was wiped away. Remembering that song just brought something back."

"Well, how about we change the subject?" Will suggested

"Okay" He straightened his back "What are we gonna talk about?"

"I have a few ideas" Will leaned in, and kissed Nico. A few seconds later, Will pulled away.

"Well said." Nico replied, with a huge grin on his face.

"You're still cold" Will noticed. "You should get some rest. We'll talk more tomorrow."

Will tucked Nico in his bunk bed, and kissed him good night. Jason and Percy exchanged looks, and slowly retreated from the infirmary back to the cabins. As they walked back, they made small talk

"I'm happy for those two" Jason said "Especially Nico"

"Yeah, he deserves happiness after all he's been through"

They reached the cabin arena. Jason continued walking towards Cabin one, and didn't notice that Percy had stopped walking.

"It's already past curfew, Jackson." He warned him "The harpies are gonna be out soon"

"Oh come on, two heroes of Olympus, demigods of two prophecies, slayers of titans, giants and other horrible monsters can't take a few harpies? Seems ironic, doesn't it?"

"I guess you're right." Jason walked back to where Percy was standing "What do you want us to do?"

"I know the perfect spot" Percy ginned wickedly.

Jason and Percy walked towards the top of Half-Blood hill. Jason looked back and saw a perfect view of the cabins. The dinning pavilion was in the distance.

"Nice view" Jason said, and made himself comfortable on the grass.

"Yeah, it kind of brings back memories, you know."

"What happened here?" Jason asked, figuring it was something before Jason came into camp.

"This was the first spot I sat in with my best friend, Grover. He explained to me the gods, and camp and heroes, and I stood here in disbelief. This was the moment I knew Camp Half-Blood was going to be my home"

"Wait, Grover the Satyr? Lord of the Wild Grover?" Jason remembered the satyr that faced Octavian with Rachel Elizabeth Dare in his dream.

"Yeah, that's him. You heard about him?"

"I saw him in a dream once. Where is he? I haven't seen him at camp"

"He's almost never at camp." Percy said "I haven't seen him since before Hera switched us."

"Do you miss him?" Jason asked, but then realized it was a dumb question. Of course he did, he was his best friend since he was twelve.

"Of course I do" A voice answered, but it wasn't Percy's. They both turned around and saw a pair of goat legs.

"Holy Poseidon, Grover!" Percy said as he stood up and hugged the satyr.

"I'm so sorry. There was so much disturbance in nature after Gaea was put to sleep"

"It's alright, man" Percy replied. "What matters is that you're here"

They hugged again, and Jason was once more reminded of how a major impact this camp had left on everybody in here. He looked down and saw the camp necklace. He couldn't wait to fill it up. For now, it had one bead: the image of the Athena Parthenos in the middle with an SPQR on its left side, and a CHB on the right, symbolizing the unity of the two camps.


	9. The Trip to the City

Annabeth could feel a lump in her throat as she observed the pictures. There's a reason why she doesn't usually open that album anymore. It wasn't that the memories were bad, it just hurt that Annabeth couldn't resurrect those beautiful memories.

Jason took a sip of his hot drink. She studied him carefully. Somehow beneath the grey streak of hair and wrinkly face, she still recognized the sixteen year old Jason she always knew. She glanced at one of the old photos of him and realized that, despite his age, Jason still radiated the same power he always has. It seemed like he's still able to take down a whole army.

Annabeth wondered how she looked now, and whether she would still be intimidating to monsters. She decided not to think about it too much.

She glanced down at the album book and the photo of her, Percy and Sally Jackson instantly sent her to another warm flashback.

It was another beautiful morning at camp. Annabeth woke the other Athena campers and carefully assigned chores to prepare for morning inspections. Annabeth checked her schedule for the day. She had a meeting at the big house to assign a quest. As a head counselor, one of her duties was to attend meetings deciding whether a quest should be assigned or not.

Before the second Titan war, assigning quests was rare and extremely dangerous. She remembered back when she longed to go on one, always wanting to see if she was any good out in the real world. Now, quests occurred regularly. Of course, the gods were still not contacting any demigods directly, but small quests were still assigned. After all, a demigod's job is to fulfill quests for the gods.

Annabeth entered the big house's rec room. The council was held around a Ping-Pong table in the rec room. Mr. D waved his hand and supplied snacks: Cheez Whiz, crackers, and several bottles of red wine. Chiron reminded him that wine was against his restrictions and most of the campers are underage. Mr. D sighed. With a snap of his fingers the wine turned to Diet Coke.

Before, the ping pong table was huge. Every counselor had enough space to sit down, enjoy their snacks and discuss the pressing issue. Now, the rec room was filled with counselors. Jason and Percy were talking. Leo and the Stoll Brothers sprayed Cheez Whiz on Clovis' head. Piper and Katie Gardiner exchanged girl talk. Clarisse was chasing Lou Ellen for trying to play a dumb magic trick on her. Will and Nico held hands while talking to Butch. Calypso stood with Rachel.

Everyone was talking over each other, when finally Chiron announced the start of the meeting

"Our first announcement," he said "by Clarisse"

Annabeth didn't notice him at first, but Sherman Yang, another camper from the Ares cabin stood at the ping pong table. He wasn't a counselor so he shouldn't have been at meetings, unless of course he was invited.

"Uhh" Clarisse stopped chasing Lou Ellen, noticing everyone looking at her now "I just wanted to say that starting this January, I'm gonna be attending the University of Phoenix. This means I'm stepping down as head of the Ares cabin. Sherman Yang will be taking over. I've had the best years of my life at this camp, but it's time for the next chapter of my life"

Clarisse sat back down, and the council cheered. People came up to congratulate Clarisse and wish her the best. She looked happy and confident in her choice.

Annabeth was in awe. She couldn't believe it. Clarisse was one of the very few campers who had been at Half Blood Hill for more than her. She has known Clarisse for gods know how long. Granted, she and Clarisse never had _the best_ friendship, but she was still family and seeing her leave made Annabeth kind of sad.

"Next a couple of small announcements by our oracle, Rachel"

"Well, before you guys ask" she announced "Prophecies are still gone, there's still no communications, and no god has contacted camp in weeks"

Everyone groaned

"Except obviously me" Mr. D said, with no real enthusiasm

"But!" Rachel said, sounding more upbeat "There are still quests being assigned by the gods. Tyche, goddess of luck, is assigning a quest to her daughter, Chiara. Something about retrieving a rabbit's foot in Kansas. Now I know it's customary for quests to be given prophecies, but Python is still stirring and so my powers are still gone"

"Shouldn't someone go kill Python?" Travis asked

"Yeah we should be assigning a quest to kill that snake," Connor said "Not waste our time with repairs and rabbit feet"

"We can't" Annabeth said "He's too strong for demigods"

"Annabeth is right" Chiron explained "Last time Python was slayed, it was by the god Apollo himself. He is the only one capable of this. A quest like this being assigned to a mortal will fail miserably."

"And even if we want to assign it," Rachel continued "We can't just do that without consulting the gods first"

Silence filled the room. It had dawned on the campers that they're stuck. Everyone wanted to help. Wanted to do something. It must have been the attention deficit problems every demigod had because none of the campers liked standing around.

"Onto a happier note" Jason said, trying to change the subject "This August, I am planning a reunion between the camps."

"And what for?" Mr. D interrupted "More killing? No thanks."

"No, not at all. It's for the Feast of Spes. Camp Half Blood would travel to California to join the Romans in celebration of the one year anniversary of killing Gaea and keeping hope alive"

"Not going to lie," Katie said "That sounds pretty perfect"

"Yeah," Jason said "I haven't exactly worked out how we'd transport everyone. It'll be tough, but it's possible"

"Sounds good, my boy" Chiron said, sounding pleased "Keep us posted. Annabeth, how are the repairs going along?"

"Great!" Annabeth said enthusiastically "Cabins were our first priority. The new remodeled Hermes cabin is up and running. Same goes for Ares, Apollo and Hecate. The dinning pavilion will take a couple more extra days since we're expanding"

"Everything sounds great" Percy admitted "Honestly I don't remember a time where we have been more at peace"

Everyone mumbled in agreement. Even Chiron admitted that these few days were the best Camp Half Blood has ever encountered. This was truly a golden time for Half Blood Hill.

After the meeting, everyone continued their daily events. Annabeth was about to step out of the Big House when she heard a voice call her name. She turned and saw Calypso

"Hey," she said "I just want to talk"

Annabeth's brain started going overload, thinking about what this might be about, whether it was safe, and what she could use as a weapon if she had to use one

"Look," Calypso sighed "I understand that you and I are not really the best of friends, but I need your help"

"Whats wrong?" Annabeth asked

"Well, ever since I came back from Ogygia. My magic had vanished. There's small traces of it, and I can still feel it within me but it's like I can't summon it anymore. I understand you're not exactly a sorceress but Rachel said you would know how to help"

"Hmm," Annabeth took a deep breath. She sounded genuine enough, but Annabeth wondered if it was safe for Calypso to be practicing magic

"I would say visit the Hecate cabin. See if they could help out somehow. If that doesn't work, we could always ask our friend Hazel. She's a powerful sorceress herself and Hecate favored her so I'm sure she can help"

"Thank you" Calypso hugged Annabeth. Then she quickly pulled away "I never felt like I belonged here at camp. Leo is so convinced that this is the place for me, but you guys are children of the gods. I'm a child of a titan. I always feel different. I don't even have a cabin, I stay with Rachel. I guess if I regained my magic, I'll feel a little more at home. I'd be able to help with the strawberries or something"

"Look," Annabeth admitted "I'll say this, I never exactly trusted you ever since you got here. Maybe it's because you're Atlas' daughter or you had a thing for my boyfriend. Whatever the case, I think I misjudged you. You're just like us, trying to find a place to belong, so I'm ready to bury the hatchet"

Calypso smiled. It was as if she radiated warmth.

"Maybe we'll build you a cabin," Annabeth raised her eyebrow "A Titan cabin or something"

Annabeth and Calypso walked out of the Big House. Calypso headed for Hecate's cabin and Annabeth went back to cabin six. She had to make sure that one of her younger half siblings was going to take over Ancient Greek lessons for the day.

Annabeth reached camp's borders, where Peleus guarded the fleece. In the distance, the Athena Parthenos glowed under the sun. Some Demeter kids were loading boxes of strawberries into the back of the van. Percy and Argus stood next to a Delphi Strawberry Service van. Argus handed Percy keys and gave him a gesture that probably meant _destroy this van and I'll end you_

"Ready?" Annabeth asked Percy

"Yeah" Percy said "And I got it Argus, this van is coming back safe. I promise"

Argus gave him one last glare with his hundred eyes. It was so intimidating, it gave Annabeth goose bumps. Then, he finally started walking away. Annabeth and Percy got into the van and started driving away from Half Blood Hill. Before they made it into the city, the made their strawberry delivery to an organic grocery store in the Bronx.

As they reached the traffic of Manhattan, Annabeth realized how much she really missed New York. She hadn't had a chance to visit the city ever since Percy got kidnapped by her highness, the queen of the gods, Hera. Olympus was still closed, which meant that her architecture work is still on hold for the time being.

As they drove around the city, Annabeth couldn't help but think about the battle of Manhattan. She couldn't believe it was only one year ago, because it seemed like a lifetime ago. She turned to Percy, and she remembered how powerful he was after his dip in the Styx. Annabeth was only thankful for Hera because she took that away. It made Percy normal again.

They parked the van on 72nd street. Percy held Annabeth's hand as they walked towards Sally Jackson's apartment. Percy hadn't seen his mother in almost eight months. She could tell he was anxious.

When they reached the apartment, Annabeth pressed the buzzer. A male voice answered "Hello?"

Annabeth recognized the voice as Percy's step father, Paul Blofis.

"Hi Mr. Blofis. It's Annabeth Chase, Percy's girlfriend. Can I come up?"

"Yeah," he said "Of course"

Paul buzzed them in and they stepped inside. When they had reached the door of Sally's apartment, Percy paused. His hand started get more sweaty. His eyes looked far away.

"Hey" Annabeth turned his face towards her "It'll be fine. She's gonna be happy to see you"

"I know," Percy replied "It's just... I've put her in so much pain"

"Percy," Annabeth said "You're not the first hero to put their mother in a state of panic."

Percy sighed, as if realizing he won't win a fight against Annabeth, then finally he knocked. Sally opened the door before Percy could even knock a third time.

She wore a white shirt and blue jeans. Her long brown hair was down her back. The streaks of grey had grown over the summer. There were worry lines all over her face. Even though she was stressed about Percy all year, as soon as she opened the door, she gave them her infamous warm smile.

"Percy!" with a sob, Sally wrapped her arm around him. She pushed him into her warm embrace. Percy was at least a couple of inches taller than his mom now. Her face barely reached Percy's shoulder.

"I missed you so much mom" Percy said, his voice breaking

She raised her head from Percy's shoulder, and pushed him back. She held his face, placing her hand on his cheeks as if studying his scars.

She looked at Annabeth and held out her hand. Annabeth walked over and joined them in a warm hug. "I'm so glad you kids are home"

"I'm so glad you kids are okay" She finally let go and walked back a few steps.

Annabeth almost cursed in ancient Greek. "Ms. Jackson, you're-"

"You're pregnant!" Percy exclaimed

Sally Jackson stood at the door. Annabeth didn't notice it before but now it was so obvious. Sally had placed her hand on her back to increase her lumbar support. Sally was never the skinny type, but she always kept a good figure. Now her stomach extended at least a few inches in front of her

"Come in," Sally said with a smile "We got so much catching up to do"

Sally's apartment looked as homely as ever. The smell of homemade food filled the apartment. The sun shone through the windows filling the place with a warm feel. In one of the windows, silver plants grew.

They all sat on the couch. Percy and Annabeth filled her in of all that happened in the past summer. Camp Jupiter, The Argo II, Gaea, camp repairs. Everything except their little trip to Tartarus. None of them wanted Sally to worry, plus they didn't really want to open those memories again. They were safely stored away in the very back of Annabeth's brain.

After they were done, Sally told them about her year. Earlier this year, she finally got in contact with a publisher who was willing to sign a contact with her about her novel. Her and Paul had a little celebration and ended up with a alittle surprise.

"I'm in my third trimester" she explained "The doctor said I would be due in October"

"Mom," Percy said "That's so great. I'm so happy for you. You deserve everything good happening to you"

"Thank you, Percy" Sally said "Now, you guys must be hungry. Let's go make lunch"


	10. The End and The Beginning

**(A/N: Time for a time jump, because why not? Oh gods, this fanfic is gonna take ages to finish, but I'm determined to make it the dam best! For the meantime enjoy :3)**

Memories rushed through Annabeth's mind as they continued leafing through the old albums. Suddenly, she felt jealous of the Titan lord, Kronos. He could easily slow down time, and live his best moments forever, by the flick of his wrist. Annabeth would give anything to relive these moments, but she knew these times were gone.

"Are you okay?" Jason asked "We can stop looking at these if you want."

"No." She replied, and dried up her tears "I want to continue looking at these."

"Look at that!" Jason pointed to a picture of them together at Camp Jupiter

"The Feast of Spes" Annabeth studied the photograph "One year after we defeated Gaea"

It was July 29th. The senior counselors at Camp Half-Blood had been arranging the trip to Camp Jupiter the past few weeks. It was Percy and Annabeth's last remaining days at Camp Half-Blood. Annabeth was already 18, but Percy still hung at 17 years old.

Annabeth spent substantial time with her best friend, Piper, considering the fact that in a few months, she won't see her. Jason had been travelling back and forth between the two camps, building shrines, temples, cabins, etc to honor every under appreciated god. Annabeth grew to respect the son of Jupiter even more after that. Annabeth saw Frank, Hazel and Reyna only once throughout the year, but it was okay, considering they will be moving to New Rome in a few months, and they'll be able to see them on a regular basis. Grover visited whenever he could, but it was hardly ever. He spent a lot of time with Juniper. She always complained about the fact that she never sees him anymore, and the argument lasted for hours. Leo and Calypso were like the couple everyone wanted to be. They had absolutely no fights. They always spent an hour by the beach, just talking. Over the past year, Annabeth grew over her grudge over the sorceress. She was genuinely nice, and kind-spirited. Lastly, Nico and Will. They grew closer and closer over time. Nico still felt uncomfortable holding his hand, or kissing in public, but Will helped him get over it. The world seemed at perfect balance this past year, and honestly, Annabeth wanted to last a lifetime, but every good thing must end. And what a perfect way to end Annabeth's summer but the Feast of Hope at Camp Jupiter?

That night, Percy and Annabeth had a special dinner planned. Annabeth had prepared a few sandwiches, coke and blue cookies to have at the beach. It wasn't exactly a fancy dinner, but it was enough for a proper goodbye to Camp Half-Blood.

Annabeth and Percy sat side-by-side admiring the sunset on the beach on Long Island Sound. She thought of all the Fourth of July celebrations she'd seen over this very beach, especially the most recent one, where she finally found someone to kiss under the fireworks.

"I'm really gonna miss this place." Annabeth said.

"I wish we didn't have to grow up." Percy agreed.

"This camp has been my home for eleven years, Percy. Just the thought of having another home is making me nauseous" Percy gave her a weary look. "I am not gonna hurl, Percy" She reassured him

"I still remember the day I came here like it was yesterday" Percy said

"I looked at you and said:"

"You drool in your sleep" They both said in unison, and laughed.

"I remember Grover taking us here, when I was seven. And, Thalia sacrificing herself for Luke and I." Annabeth felt a tear trickling down her cheek. She rested her head on Percy's shoulder, and admired the sunset along the Long Island beach, probably for the last time in her teenage life.

The next morning, Annabeth was cleaning her bunk and packing her stuff in moving boxes. The campers were going to travel by the flying eagles that Camp Jupiter owned. Reyna assured that they would arrive by dinner time, so they would have enough time to rest by tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, Annabeth and Percy couldn't join them. Packing twenty moving boxes on giant eagles, travelling across the United States isn't exactly comfortable, so Percy rented a car that would get them from New York to California in 42 hours. That meant that this was officially Annabeth's last day at Camp Half-Blood

Annabeth arranged that her half-brother, Malcolm take over as Athena senior councilor after today. She had taught her last Ancient Greek class, and spent the time for store checks at the Big House, talking with Chiron. He was in wheelchair form, and spent their time playing chess. Annabeth appreciated the fact that he was the only person who could actually beat her.

"So, last day at camp. Always interesting" Chiron said, as he knocked over one of Annabeth's pawns.

"Why can't I stay, Chiron?" Annabeth said "I've had the best time of my life at this camp. It's my home."

"You can't live in the past, my dear."

"I'm not living in the past. I'll create a future here, Chiron. I'll make it work"

"Even though you may want to move forward in your life, you may have one foot on the brakes. In order to be free, we must learn how to let go. Release the hurt. Release the fear. Refuse to entertain your old pain. The energy it takes to hang onto the past is holding you back from a new life. What is it you would let go of today, Annabeth?"

Annabeth sighed and stood up "I would be letting go of my friends, my home, my mentor."

"Think about this: you already have friends in California, another home is waiting for you in New Rome, you could find new mentors at University of New Rome. Now go. Leaving quickly is the best thing you can do. Don't think about it, don't look back, and don't think that what's behind you is better than what's in front because it's not."

"Thank you, Chiron" She reached over and hugged him. "I'm really going to miss you"

"I'm going to miss you too" Chiron said "You are without doubt the greatest student I have had in the past millennium

That afternoon, Percy had drove the car to Half-Blood Hill. Annabeth had everything packed away in organized boxes: a"Pillow" box, three "Books" boxes, a _really, really_ heavy "Weapons" box, and got help from Athena campers to store it away in the car.

She looked back atop Half-Blood Hill. Glancing over the forest, the Arena, the Stables, twenty five cabins. Every place sparking beautiful memories, but she knew that it was just memories. It was in the past. She had to put it behind her, and look to her future. She turned around again, and saw Percy standing in front of Thalia's Tree, "Ready?" He asked.

"Y- yeah." She stuttered, as Percy held her close, and kissed her on the forehead. She looked up to see his sea-green eyes. His dark hair swept to one side. "I love you" she said

"I love you, too" He replied, and then suddenly leaving camp didn't feel as hard anymore, because Annabeth was with the person she loved most in the world, for the rest of her life.

Annabeth and Percy had arrived 43 hours later at Camp Jupiter, entering through service tunnel near the main Caldecott Tunnel in San Francisco. Annabeth drove in through the tunnel. There was no welcome party. Not even someone to guide them through, or at least guards of some sort.

"Shouldn't there be guards here?" Annabeth asked

"Last time I was here, there were guards." Percy mumbled

"Maybe there was a magic border?"

"Still, there should be a second layer of protection at the camp's entrance."

Annabeth parked the car near one of the bridges across the Little Tiber river. She figured it was best if vehicles couldn't enter the camp's borders. They locked the car, leaving their things behind for now. Percy held Annabeth's hand as they walked across the bridge. He explained to her how he carried Juno across this very river, chased by two very resentful gorgons.

They walked through the Decumanian Gate into the Principia, which was deserted. Not even a lare was in sight.

"This doesn't make sense." Percy grumbled "This place should be filled by demigods and lares and fauns. Where is everybody?"

"I don't know." Annabeth said as she inspected the Cohorts. "Maybe there's a senate meeting at New Rome."

"Legionnares and Probatios aren't supposed to attend the meetings."

"Something's wrong"

"How about we split up." Percy suggested "I'll search the Fields of Mars, and you search Temple Hill. We'll meet up at New Rome by the lake in thirty minutes, deal?"

Annabeth hated splitting up with Percy, but it sounded like the best strategy. "Deal" she finally agreed.

Annabeth crossed the Via Praetoria and reached Temple Hill. It was completely deserted. There was fresh sacrifices in each temple, but no one was in sight. Annabeth considered their friends playing a cruel joke on them, but she pushed that idea aside for now.

She noticed that there was about thirty buildings, different in size and building material. Jupiter's temple was made of marble, while Minerva's was made of stone. Mars' temple was high and almighty, while the temple of Versa was small and insignificant.

After thirty minutes of searching she decided that she should be getting going. Percy might get worried, besides, there was no use in searching Temple Hill. It was obviously deserted and let's face it: she only stayed to admire the Roman architecture.

Annabeth followed the signs leading to the Pomerian Line. She was stopped by the God Terminus.

"Oh thank the gods" She said as she saw a familiar face

"You're welcome."

"Where is everyone? I've been looking around for an hour, but the camp is deserted."

"Look, girl." He said pretentiously "My duty is to protect the border to the city, not keep an eye on the people"

She was furious for him not giving her a straight answer, but she figured that it was pointless to argue with him for too long. She entered the city lines and walked over to the lake. Nobody was around. She admired the empty landscapes, and couldn't help but think about spending the rest of her life here with Percy.

Annabeth stopped at the shore of the lake, and suddenly saw the first living organism: A dove flying above her heading from the city into the outside of the borders through the lake, which was weird considering that Doves' natural habitat wasn't water. She turned around, her eyes following the dove which disappeared into the Oakland Hills, far in the distance.

After that distraction by the small bird, she turned back around to face the city of New Rome, waiting for Percy, but instead found everyone- and by everyone, she means _everyone_ she had ever met- right there in front of her.

"Wha-What-How-Who-Why" She had trouble forming words, which was unlike her.

Everyone was lined up perfectly in a V-shape, with a open side at the vertex at the very end. This created a pathway in the middle. She squinted and saw Percy, in a suit and tie, walking in the middle of the crowds towards her.

"Percy, what is this?" She had a lump in her throat, but she suppressed it

He held her hands "Annabeth, there are no words on the face of the Earth- in any language- that could ever describe the way I feel about you. I've spent months trying to figure how to say I love you in a deep meaningful speech, but every time I put it into words, it is never perfect enough to describe my feelings toward you, but I'll try my best: Annabeth, you're my other half. It's always been you. I've known you since I was a dumb twelve-year-old, which feels like an even longer time with all we have accomplished standing by your side, but throughout that whole time I knew it was you. You were the reason why I held up the load of the sky above my shoulders. You were the reason why I turned down Calypso's offer of escaping a prophecy that should kill me. You were the reason why I wasn't burnt away when I bathed in the Styx. You were the reason why I turned down an offer of immortality right to Zeus's face. You were the person who I trusted the most in battle, who knew my next move before I did. You were the one who took a poisoned knife headed for my Achilles spot, before I even told you its location. You were the one memory Hera couldn't extract from my brain when I was sent here. You were the reason why I declined an offer from Juno inviting me to peace of mind the rest of my life in the domain of my father. You were the reason why I jumped into Tartarus. You were the reason the darkness didn't overcome me while I was in the most evil pit on the face of the universe. You, Annabeth, are my reason for existing, my other half, my soulmate. I am here to swear on the Styx again, and again and again that I will love you, always and forever, and everyone here is bearing witness that my heart will always be yours, no matter how many lifetimes I may take. Annabeth Chase, your name to these people might mean "Architect of Olympus" or "Daughter of Athena" or "A two-time savior of Olympus," but to me, none of these titles seem suitable enough for you, so I am here today to give you the title I wanted to give you since the moment I realized that I was in love you: "My wife". " Percy paused, and took out an oyster clam from his coat pocket. He got down on one knee, opened the Oyster to reveal a ring with a 2-karat-sized diamond at its base, and asked "Annabeth Chase, will you marry me?"


	11. The Feast of Spes

**(A/N: Sorry for the last cliff-hanger, but not really. HAHAHAHAHA. Seriously I love you guys... Now I know what it feels like to be as evil as Rick. No old Jason and Annabeth in this chapter, because I know you want me to get to the most important part :P)**

Annabeth stared at Percy, kneeling before her, holding a diamond ring in an oyster shell. "Yes!" She said "Of course I will, Seaweed brain!"

Percy got to his feet, and before Annabeth could react, his lips were on hers, and they were kissing. He was putting his hands on her waist and pulling her closer. Their lips were moving together just like they always had. She didn't have any time to think, and then her fingers were knotting in his hair. Suddenly, he lifted her off the ground, and spun her a few times. She couldn't help but smile, mid-kissing, but she didn't want to let go if his lips just yet. He put her back down on shore of the Little Tiber lake, and pulled away. He looked at her like she was the ocean, and he was desperate to drown.

He looked back down at his hands, and reopened his oyster ring box. He took out the diamond ring, which was strikingly beautiful. He held her hand, and put the ring on her finger. Suddenly, she felt very aware that she was watched by more than three-hundred people, because she heard the most enthusiastic applause she had ever heard in her life. She turned to face her audience, with the widest smile ever to be put on her face. She noticed so many familiar faces in the crowd: Grover, Juniper, Chiron, Jason, Piper, Reyna, Calypso, Leo, Frank, Hazel, Nico, Will, Travis, Connor, Katie, Miranda, Malcolm, Dakota. There were a lot of missing faces that she wanted there, but life doesn't always work that way.

Piper stepped forward from the crowd, and hugged Annabeth "I am so happy for you." she said while she let go of her "I'm your maid of honor, right?"

"Of course," Annabeth reassured her "but I'm eighteen. I'm not going to have my wedding for like another five years."

"I know, I know." Piper exclaimed "I'm just so excited, you're my first friend to get engaged." The crowd started talking all at once, and Annabeth sensed boredom in their tones "We should get going though. The Feast of Spes should start soon."

Now, when you think feast, it's usually a huge meal, eaten by like a hundred people. The Feast of Spes was not anywhere near celebrating food. It was about the celebration of the spirit of hope, being reborn every year. So, in honor of that, Romans used to go to her temple and pray for her blessing to last them for the upcoming year. And what's a feast to honor one god without honoring all the Olympians?

Everyone marched for Temple Hill: Romans, Greeks, Satyrs, Fauns, Lares, Legacies, and countless nature spirits. Annabeth looked down at her hand, and exhaled. Never in her life had she dreamed of getting married. She always knew that demigods never lived for too long, certainly not long enough to get married, but now, it all seemed very possible.

"It's beautiful." A voice said behind her. Annabeth turned around to see Reyna staring at her engagement ring. "Congratulations" She said "Can I walk with you?"

Annabeth looked around, looking for Percy. She glanced over, and saw him walking with Grover in front of her. She figured that he should celebrate with his friends for now. "Of course" she gestured for Reyna to walk beside her.

"So, moving to New Rome. How nervous are you?"

"Just a little." Annabeth admitted "I've always been taught Greek. Roman is just stories in books for me. It's going to be the first time I would actually experience it."

"You're gonna like it here" Reyna assured her "You and I, we're a lot alike."

"I hope so." Annabeth smiled at Reyna, then continued walking. It wasn't the matter that she didn't trust Reyna. After what the Praetor had done for Camp Half-Blood last year, she trusted he more than any Roman. It just seemed that Reyna had been broken. "Reyna, I don't know if I'm crossing a line here, but you just seem depressed. Is everything okay?"

"Um" Reyna sighed "I haven't heard from my sister, Hylla, in over a year. She should've been here today. Something's terribly wrong, and I don't know the first path to helping her. I've tried everything, but I'm afraid she's gone"

"Since I'm going to spend a lot of time here, I promise I'll do everything I can to help you, Reyna. I owe you after saving my home, and accepting me into yours"

"Thank you, Annabeth" Reyna gave her a warm smile. Her eyes glinted in the son. She remembered seeing her in Circe's Island five years ago. She'd never really talked to her back then but she had seemed so immature and helpless back then, but now, Annabeth had to admit, she's the most powerful Roman demigod Annabeth had ever met, including Frank and Hazel.

Everyone stood in front of the Temple of the goddess, Spes. The temple was medium-sized compared to the temples surrounding it, but compared to the temple of Jupiter, it was like comparing a pea to a watermelon.

Annabeth vaguely remembered when reading about the feast that a figure of leadership should come and pray in honor of the goddess of hope, and the rest of the Olympians. She half expected Percy to do it, but he hadn't come to ask her for help writing the speech.

Finally, Chiron stepped up the stairs leading to the temple. He faced the crowd, and started praying:

"O great spirit of Hope. Great Spes. You provide our hearts with your gift in every step of the way. Last year, your hope kept our hearts strong. Strong enough to beat the most ancient and powerful goddess, Gaea, and we owe it to you, Great Spes. We ask of you to continue providing us with your great gift. Keep our hearts and minds full of hope this upcoming year.

Jupiter Optimus Maximus, bearer of the thunder bolt, granter of rule to the worthy, upholder of the right, be with us.

Mars Ultor, ally of those who risk their lives on the field, impetuous one who takes joy in strife, be with us

Peerless Juno, friend of those who seek the joy of marriage, the solace of companionship, be with us.

Mighty Neptune, lord of all the waters and oceans, shaker of the earth, bearer of the great Trident, be with us.

Grey-eyed Minerva, protector of cities, keeper of wisdom, who favors the virtuous, be with us.

Ceres of fields and flowers, mistress of all that grows in the earth, founder of the feast, be with us.

Golden Venus, whose gift it is to bring us here together in love and compassion, be with us.

Swift-footed Mercury, guide of words and meaning, who clears the way for unity and understanding, be with us.

Skillfull Hephaestus, lord of inventions, Patron of metal craftsmen and jewelers alike, be with us.

Bright Apollo, lover of knowledge and beauty, who keeps away all ill, who banishes all blight, be with us.

Diana of the woodlands, mistress of beasts, guardian of all that is innocent and wild, be with us.

Bacchus of the vine, creator of the rich wine, wanderer of field and forest, granter of pleasure and delight, be with us.

Finally, Vesta, blessed lady of the Hearth, keeper of the sacred flames of Olympus, guardian of Pandora's box where the spirit of Spes resides, be with us.

To all the Gods above, to all the Gods below, to all the gods who walk the sacred Earth, I offer to you in thanks, blessed may we be."

After his prayer, Chiron marched to the center of the hill, where a dying fire in the hearth laid. Frank and Reyna stepped forward, with a torch in their hands. They handed it to Chiron as he said "Great gods of Olympus, we ask of you guide us, protect us, and be with us in every step of the way." He lit the Hearth's fire, whose smoke became invisible as it got higher than the clouds in the sky.

The Mess Hall was certainly a mess that day. With over three hundred campers eating lunch, there was almost no place to sit for half the demigods.

Annabeth glanced around the room, admiring the reunion of demigods: Reyna and Nico sitting at the end of the Praetor table "You're looking pale again, Nico." Reyna complained "Take it easy on the Underworld stuff."

Hazel and Leo hugging to one side: "I can't believe we're the same height now" Hazel exclaimed "You should eat better, for Juno's sake"

Jason and Frank: "Praetorship is a pain in the behind." Frank muttered "I have no idea how you handled it, man"

Every once in a while, people kept coming to Annabeth's table to congratulate her, and wishing her a happy chapter in her life, though almost none of the wishes sounded genuine enough. Most girls had a jealous tone, except one specific camper: Calypso.

Percy and Annabeth ate side by side at the Praetor's table. They were almost done with their food when Calypso walked over the other side of the table "Do you mind if I talk to you?"

"No, not at all" Annabeth gestured for her to sit.

"I know we haven't been on the best terms this past year. When a girl that had offered your boyfriend a chance to escape his fate with you comes back to his life. Well, it makes things rather complicated."

"Complicated?" Annabeth asked sarcastically, then chuckled

"'Complicated' isn't the right term for this complex situation, but I just wanted to patch things up. I can't still be hung up on something that happened four years ago, and neither should you. There is nothing left between Percy and I. All I want to say is: Congratulations."

"I believe you." Annabeth admitted "My feelings got the best of me this past year. So, thank you."

Calypso started to get up, but she sat back down as if remembering something "I also wanted to apologize for something else." She paused "When Leo told me that you fell into Tartarus, I couldn't help but think-"

"That your curse got to us?" Percy asked

"Yeah," Calypso said nervously "After you left me on Ogygia, I got so envious of you, Annabeth. My anger and my emotions took over, and I cursed you to die alone, the way Percy left me."

"That was you?!" Annabeth yelled

"I am so sorry. I swear if I had known how kind-hearted you are, I would have never done it."

Annabeth felt a surge of anger rushing through her body. She wanted to strangle Calypso right in the middle of the Mess Hall. That moment in Tartarus, Annabeth was so helpless. She had thought Percy had died, and she was so far away from him to check. On top of all that, she was blind. Calypso had made Annabeth think Percy was dead twice now.

"I believe you." She lied "You were hurt, and abandoned."

"Thank you" Calypso replied "for being so understanding. I hope we can be friends" She reached out and held Annabeth's hand

"I hope so, too." Annabeth said with a fake smile, and squeezed her hand a little. How can she possibly assume that Annabeth and her are friends after what she just confessed to her?

After lunch, all campers, Roman and Greek, gathered for separation of teams for the Roman war games planned this afternoon. It was planned that Greeks were going to play against Romans, but some other campers favored that the teams should be separated by parentage. There was going to be a huge debate about it, but they were interrupted by a couple of surprise visitors.

"I'm telling you," Michael Kahale, a centurion of the first cohort argued "If we battle the Greeks, the game is going to last five minutes"

"We can _so_ take you, Romans" Travis disagreed.

"Oh come on, guys." Jason cooled things down "Today is about us getting along, not about who's tough enough to take whom"

"I think we can take all of you" A voice bellowed from the back of the crowd. "I mean, we're all tougher than a bunch of campers, am I right girls?" laughter and giggles echoed from the back of the crowd. She recognized the voice, but she wasn't sure.

Demigods cleared into two sides, and then right in the back stood two groups of girl warriors. The girls on the right had a silvery glow, and were all twelve to fifteen years old. The girls on the the hand seemed older, ages fourteen to nineteen. Maybe even older in some cases. They wore darker colors, and more jewelry.

Annabeth scanned the girls for a familiar face, then finally she saw her: Thalia Grace, Lieutenant of Artemis. She hadn't aged a day from when she last saw her, which filled Annabeth with both warm and painful memories. She could never imagine calling Thalia "Big sister" anymore, considering that she looked two years older than her now.

Before Annabeth could acknowledge Thalia's presence, she turned to Reyna. She was searching for her sister Hylla, no doubt. She was hiding pain and sorrow in her eyes until She yelled in disbelief "Hylla!"

Everyone walked forward to welcome the Hunters of Artemis and the Amazons who had just intruded Camp Jupiter. Annabeth ran for Thalia, who got lost in the crowd of demigods. She searched among the hunters for what seemed like an eternity, but she wasn't there. It was as if Thalia had been a trick of the mist. A cruel image put there by the gods.

Annabeth kept thinking that Thalia had died in the past year. There were a million ways that Thalia could die, but she just couldn't bring herself to believing that. She was about to collapse on the floor, when someone tapped on her shoulder "Hey"

Annabeth turned and almost cried in relief. There stood her best friend, Thalia. She was wearing a black leather jacket, and a Pierce the Veil shirt underneath. There was a silver circlet on her head, which was different from the other hunters, symbolizing her higher rank. Annabeth stepped forward and almost crushed Thalia in a hug.

"I missed you, too" Thalia said

"Where were you?!" Annabeth asked "There was no word from you for an entire year"

"I know." Thalia replied "Lady Artemis forbade our contact with the camps. All the gods of Olympus did. They didn't want our intrusion in the first year of peace between Romans and Demigods in almost two centuries. That's why Olympus was closed this past year."

"I had assumed that Zeus closed the contacts to Olympus because he was punishing Hera and Apollo."

"That." Thalia chuckled "It only took him a few days to sort out. No, Zeus said that he was advised by The Fates to end all contacts to Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter. This year was supposed to determine whether demigods could finally coexist"

"And did we pass this test?" Annabeth asked

"You're about to find out."

"What?" Annabeth asked, unsure of what Thalia just said

"The gods are inviting a few heroes to Olympus to honor their accomplishments. Sort of like what they did after the second Titan war."

"When?"

"That's why we're here. We were sent by the gods to bring you to Mount Olympus."


	12. The Gifts from Olympus

**(A/N: This chapter is going to be loooooooooong, probably the longest one in this fanfic, so be prepared (; Sorry it took me so long to write it. Forgive me!)**

Jason shifted in his seat. He didn't know how much memories Annabeth can handle for one day. Jason knew that Annabeth was the most powerful daughter of Athena in history, but a human mind can only endure so much.

He looked through her grey-colored eyes. The look in them were so lonesome. The glint of her revealed a world of darkness. Even though she would always try to hide it with a fake smile, her eyes revealed it all. Theses dark, colourless eyes that mourned her despair for years. Jason knew that the life in her eyes had disappeared forever.

"Anything wrong?" She asked

"No." He mumbled "I was just thinking if you're okay... with the flush of memories."

"I'm fine, Jason" He could tell she was lying. She moved her blanket so that it covered more of her shoulders. "How about we take a break. I can make you some hot chocolate?"

"That would be great."

"Romans and Greeks," Thalia yelled, as she stood at the top of a small hill, making herself visible to the crowd "The gods of Olympus have sent us with the request that the following demigods be recruited to Mount Olympus this instant." She opened a golden parchment and read "Heroes of Olympus: Percy Jackson, Jason Grace, Annabeth Chase, Leo Valdez, Piper McLean, Hazel Levesque, and Frank Zhang. Heroes of Half-Blood Hill: Reyna Ramírez-Arellano, Nico Di Angelo, Will Solace and the Oracle of Delphi, Rachel Dare"

"Um," Frank stumbled "How exactly are you supposed to transport all of us there?" Thalia had a confused look on her face, as if she didn't expect this question.

Nico cracked his knuckles, and grinned wickedly "I think I can handle it"

"I swear to Apollo if you even think of Shadow-travel- " Will solace threatened Nico

Queen Hylla stepped forward. She looked so much like Reyna, it was uncanny. She had the exact same dark eyes and long black hair. She had it braided to one side, which differentiated her from Reyna. She was dressed in a sleek black leather jumpsuit, like the other Amazons, but she had a golden belt strapped around her waist, symbolizing her rank as queen. Jason noticed that she was also wearing a ring. It was silver, unlike the other Amazons' golden bracelets and necklaces. There was a pattern engraved on it, but it was too far away for Jason to study it.

"I believe that won't be necessary" She declared "Zeus- or Jupiter had prepared a special transportation method. We just have to wait for sunset."

Jason stood with Frank and Hazel. They were searching for something but none of them were sure what it is. Hylla mentioned Zeus' "special transportation method" but he never specified what it was to her.

"Any idea what we're looking for?" Hazel asked. Over the past year, she had gotten taller, and more muscular, not in a manly way, more in a "I can handle anything" sort of physique. Her dark curly hair grew longer. It was almost elbow-length now. Her forearm held her SPQR tattoo with two stripes. The one thing that hadn't changed about her were her golden eyes, glinting in the sunlight, just the way they did aboard the _Argo II_ last year.

"No idea." Frank muttered. Jason studied Frank. He had definitely won the award of "Who had changed the most since they first met Jason" His biceps were probably six inches in diameter, and that's without him even flexing. You could see veins traced along his arm, across his one-striped SPQR tattoo. His face felt more _defined._ His jawline was sharper, his cheekbones were more lifted, leaving a hollow look on his cheek. If it was possible, he grew at least two inches in the past year, which, by Jason's estimate, made him at least 6'6"

"I'm out of ideas too." Jason admitted

"Sunset is only a few moments away," Frank said "so we're about to find out"

The sun was slowly going down the horizon. As it went down, the burning light of the sun got dull and it looked like a huge disc of orange and yellow. The sun's orange was mingling with light blue color of the sky, and it produced a vast contrast of different colors. It was truly mesmerizing.

When the sun was about eight seconds away from disappearing into the horizon, a stream of light shot out of the sky. It was too bright for anyone to look at. Jason tried to follow it but spots danced around her eye. The light beam finally landed right in the middle of the crowd. Thalia, Nico and Percy gave each other looks like they knew exactly what this was all about.

Jason tried to refocus on the light, and saw a faint figure of a sports car. A Maserati? The driver's door opened, and an eighteen year-old guy stepped out. He wore a white sleeveless shirt, dark jeans, and black Converse shoes. He had glassy blue eyes, sandy-colored hair, perfectly tan skin, and a _really_ bright smile. He reminded Jason of Will Solace, same looks, except this guy was way more muscular.

"Percy, my man!" He fist-bumped Percy "Long time, no see. Thalia, still beautiful" He winked at her, but Thalia just rolled her eyes. "Kid! Look at you," he examined Nico "The Underworld did change you, and let's not forget my son" He wiggled his eyebrows, making Nico blush.

"Apollo!" Jason exclaimed "I mean, Lord Apollo, you're our ride to Mount Olympus?"

"Sure am, son of Jupiter." He said smugly

"I thought your chariot was only allowed to travel west"

"Nobody said anything about the sun traveling east. I was instructed to take you around the world. From San Fransisco Bay to Mount Olympus, going west"

"Sir Apollo," Reyna stepped forward "Not to be rude, but that would take a long time. We could easily take our eagles."

"Or shadow-travel" Nico suggested

"No!" Will scolded Nico

"Solace!" Nico squealed/whined

"Besides, the Maserati only fits one passenger, assuming you're driving it." Leo speculated

Percy and Thalia exchanged looks, like they know exactly what happens next. "Don't underestimate the chariot, Praetor" Apollo pulled out his car keys and clicked a key that transformed his glowing Maserati to a glowing shuttle bus.

"Alright! Everybody in." Apollo gestured inside.

Jason got into the shuttle bus, along with her friends from the _Argo II_ , Reyna, Nico, Will, Thalia, two other hunters, and Queen Hylla with two Amazons. Apollo was about to sit in the drivers' seat, but he looked back "How about I let someone else drives?" He tapped his chin and looked around. Percy, Leo and Frank enthusiastically raised their hands as volunteers. "Too scrawny" He said, and pointed at Leo. "Too tall" He said, and pointed at Frank. "Too... unpredictable" He said, and pointed at Percy. "Ah! Solace. Come over here."

"Not fair" Percy grumbled. "He's his son for Hera's sake"

"It's okay, Percy" Annabeth comforted him "He'll pick you next time"

"Yeah, right. As if he's going to pick a son of Poseidon to fly the sun"

Will Solace took the steering wheel, and in a few seconds, they were soaring above the clouds. Apollo instructed his son on how to maintain altitude, temperature, speech, and velocity. Jason found it hard not for Will's brain to explode with all factors to consider

"He's a natural, just like his father" Apollo chuckled "You know, three minutes after my birth, I learned how to play the trumpet. It was a beautiful song, best thing anyone's ever heard. You can even ask Demeter. She was there."

The whole bus had to listen to Apollo show off about how great he was, while Will tried not to crash into skyscraper and airplanes. Jason tried to ignore Apollo, and held Piper's hand. They looked out the window of the bus, and admired the scenes below, which included: the Great Wall of China, the Himalayas, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Eiffel Tower.

In a matter of two hours, they were able to see the Manhattan skyline in the distance. Instead of decreasing altitude, and landing in front of the Empire State Building, the sun chariot rose even higher. Jason stomach twisted into a knot. He was used to heights and winds, but the speed of the sun chariot was unbearable. He wondered how Hazel was feeling.

Will Solace parked the shuttle bus on a cloud. After what Jason witnessed at Aeolus's palace, a shuttle bus parking in the middle of a cloud didn't surprise Jason as much as it would normally have.

Apollo clicked his car keys again, and it transformed back into a Maserati. "Right this way" Apollo led them through a desert, but with clouds instead of sand. There was nothing in sight. Jason thought about the possibility that Will Solace had landed them in the wrong cloud or something, then he saw a golden glow in the distance.

"Welcome to Olympus" Apollo said, inviting them into an open golden gate in the middle of the cloud. "For this special moment, I have prepared a Haiku." He cleared his through and bean to recite "Heroes win a trip-"

"I'm sure it's great, Lord Apollo." Percy chimed in "I think Zeus would want us in as soon as possible"

As they entered, Olympus had literally taken Jason's breath away. He saw a massive marble and golden palace looming in the middle, surrounded by street of stones and grass. There were colorful tents, tended by merchants, who happened to be nymphs and satyrs. Rosebushes and olive trees surrounded a giant coliseum in the distance, with music so beautiful coming out of it, and cheers coming from the most enthusiastic crowd of all time. Mansions of stones, marble, silver and gold glittered among the hills. The weather was perfect, not too cold, not too hot.

As they made their way to the central palace, minor gods and goddesses welcomed them as the Heroes of Olympus. Jason noticed a few ruins here and there, but he was instantly reminded of the Second Titan war that had occurred on Mount Olympus two years ago. He looked over at his friends. Everyone was mesmerized by the sights of the home of the gods, except: Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, Nico, and Queen Hylla. The rest couldn't take their eyes off of... well everything.

They entered the gates that led to the main palace, passing by the central courtyard, and finally the throne room. It was so big, that the word massive didn't seem enough to describe it. It was surrounded by massive columns that rose to a domed ceiling, which was gilded with moving constellations. The room was mainly consisted of fourteen enormous thrones in a shape of U. A hearth fire crackled in the middle, tended by a ten-foot woman in a simple brown dress and a shawl half-covering her black hair.

On the throne in the center sat Jason's dad, Jupiter. No... Zeus. He wore a navy blue suit, his black beard neatly trimmed, and his eyes sparking with thousands volt of lightening focused straight at Jason. On his right, sat Percy's dad, Poseidon. He wore Bermuda shorts, a Hawaiian shirt, and sunglasses. A fishing rod hung at the back of his throne. Next to him was a very pale man, with shoulder-length hair and intense black eyes, with a faint flare of purple fire. He wore black flowing robes with evil souls threaded into the cloth. Jason immediately recognized the god as Hades, god of the Underworld, who had gotten a brand new throne on the council.

Zeus gestured to Hestia and Apollo, and they made their way to their thrones. Hera, who sat on Zeus' left stood. She wore a dress that shimmered colors of green, blue and yellow. She also wore several golden bracelets on each wrist and a golden tiara on her head, her brown hair shimmered, just like the girls who appeared in shampoo commercials "My heroes, welcome to Olympus."

Zeus eyed his wife in an accusatory look, and she quickly sat back down. "They aren't _your_ heroes, dear wife. They are the Heroes of Olympus" Jason heard a few gods snickering, "Nevertheless," Zeus continued "There are many ways to be brave in this world. Sometimes bravery involves laying down your life for something bigger than yourself, or for someone else. Sometimes it involves giving up everything you have ever known, or everyone you have ever loved, for the sake of something greater-" Jason stopped listening. He felt Piper approach his side and held her hand. He could smell vanilla radiating from her. He fought the urge to just turn around and kiss her, right there in front of fourteen all-powerful Olympians who could zap him in less than a millisecond.

"First, and foremost," Zeus said "I must thank you all, mortals and immortals, for your contribution in the elimination of our banes in Athens. Secondly," Zeus focused on Jason and his friends "we, as a council, have felt obligated to address your courage and bravery against the Earth goddess last year." He looked over at Apollo, and gestured for him to start.

Of course, Apollo had earbuds on, so he wasn't paying attention to any word that Zeus has been saying this entire time. Everyone stared at him, until he finally noticed it was his turn to speak. "Oh" He stood and took off his Ray Bans "Sorry, people." He coughed "Will Solace." He bellowed as Will let go of Nico's hand and knelt at his father's feet "With my descendant, Octavian sparking the whole fight against the Greeks, I thought I could never recover my honor among these guys, but then you go and save like seventy lives right there in the battlefield. Honestly, if there was someone out there for me to proud of, it's gotta be you, man. So, I decreed that you, and your siblings at Camp Half-Blood, should take a chariots of mine. Whichever one you like, excluding my sun chariot of course"

"S-sir?" He said

"You heard me. The way you drove my car. That was some sick talent, my friend. Besides, your last chariot was destroyed and never replaced, so, why not?!"

"T-thank you, father" Will said. Jason could tell he was having a hard time saying the word father to a man his own age, but gods are sensitive when it comes to that stuff. Jason learned that the hard way.

Apollo nodded at Hades, who rolled his eyes, then stood up. "Long time, no see, Nico." He gestured for Nico to come closer. Nico didn't kneel at his father's feet like Will did. Jason figured it had to do with the fact that Nico and Hades had the best father-child relationship out of everyone else in this room. "I made a chamber for you in my palace. I decorated it with medieval monk skulls, just like we talked."

"You're joking, right?" Nico raised an eyebrow.

"Anyhow, I thought the idea of awarding you _very_ ridiculous, because you're so hard to please. But, they're making me do it, so here goes nothing. You, of course, have met my head judge, Minos. Well, he's been so incompetent lately. His punishments are unreasonable. His rulings are unfair. I get so much notes in my complaints box about him."

"What are you saying?" Nico knit his eyebrows

"I'm giving you his job, when you die, of course. Nico Di Angelo, Head Judge of the Underworld."

"So, nothing for now? I have to wait to die to get your gift?" Nico said sarcastically

Hades turned to Zeus. "I told you. He'll never be thankful, no matter what I give him"

"I'm joking, father." Nico knelt at Hades' feet, "Thank you" Nico said, and Hades touched his shoulder. Jason might have imagined it, but he saw Nico grinning. "Before I call upon Hazel Levesque, I wanted you to know that I can inform you where your sister resides at this moment. Your _other_ sister, Bianca. If that is what you desire, Nico..."

 _Soft spot,_ Jason thought. He knew how Nico felt about his older sister leaving him, without even saying goodbye. She had chosen rebirth, erased all her memories in the river Lethe without even looking back. Nico had planned on bringing her back to life when the doors of death were open, and Death was incapacitated. When he couldn't find Bianca, and had been told of her fate, he found Hazel and freed her from the Fields of Asphodel. Jason didn't know how Nico would respond to an offer like that, knowing how Bianca meant to him.

"No thanks." Nico replied "She had once been the biggest part of my life." He turned and looked back at Will, Reyna, Hazel and Jason "Now, I think I've found a replacement. She deserves peace of mind, father, and so do I."

"Understood." Hades nodded slowly "That's very wise of you. A lot like your father." Nico rolled his eyes in sarcasm "Anyhow, Hazel Levesque." He eyed Hazel, who stood next to Frank. She squeezed his hand, and walked over to the feet of her father. "My daughter. I have to say, Nico freeing you from your punishment in the Fields of Asphodel was the best thing he's ever done." She turned to Nico, who nodded with a smile, and held her hand. Jason had to admit, he was kind of jealous of Nico and Hazel's relationship. He's always wanted to be close to Thalia, but she was always on the move. Over the past year, he's only seen her zero times. "As a result, my first gift to you- Our first gift, is that your escape from the Underworld will be forgotten. Ignored. As if it had never happened, but I should have you know that getting a second life is one thing, making it better. Now that's the trick" She bowed slowly. Jason saw her almost gasping for breath, as if a huge rock had been lifted from her chest.

"Secondly," Hades continued "I had once told you that a descendant of Neptune will wash away your curse and give you peace. I hope you know now that Frank Zhang had been the man of the prophecy. For that, I am granting you peace of mind in death. I had made an order to my second-in-command, Thanatos, to not gather either of your souls until you are old and ready. You will live a long life, my child, with your true love by your side."

"Thank you." Hazel stammered. "I couldn't have asked for better gifts, father."

Hades nodded, and turned to Ares. He wore black jeans, combat boots, a leather duster, and muscle shirt with a bulletproof vest and an iron padlock necklace. He was carrying at least a dozen visible weapons, including a knife, a bazooka, and an aluminum baseball bat. He stood, and immediately sent Jason this urge that he wanted to skewer someone, but he subsided it.

"Frank Zhang!" Ares bellowed "My man!" Jason heard Frank gulp and watched him walk to his father's throne. "You have made your old man very proud. From the beginning of your journey in Alaska, till the moment you assisted in the end of Gaea at Half-Blood Hill, I couldn't help but brag to these guys about you. Thank you, and your mother would've been proud too" Ares paused "Now, you've already got one great gift from Hades, but you are not going to leave this palace without a gift from me. I had conversed with the Fates, and we decided that your special firewood shouldn't exist anymore. It has served its purpose in containing your power in the past almost two decades."

"Wait. Are you saying that my firewood is gone?" He quickly reached for his coat pocket and brought out a small pouch. He looked inside "It's gone."

"Hades had already determined that you will live a long life, so that firewood is worthless now, because it won't scare you"

"Thank you" Frank's voice quivered, as he bowed at Ares. "Thank you, so much."

Ares looked at the other side of the throne room. A beautiful woman stood up, which later Jason realized it was Aphrodite, Piper's mom. She was seriously pretty that she made the word 'Beautiful' sound like an understatement. She was white dress, with a golden belt. It was simple but very worthy of a red-carpet event, with dark brown hair braided to one side. Her eyes were exactly like Pipers', always shifting and changing, that it was almost impossible to detect what color they were. Her skin had a perfect shade of tan. She had flawless makeup. She looked a lot like Piper, if Piper paid more attention to girly things like makeup, and good looks.

"Piper McLean" She said in a sweet voice, that hearing it alone would have made anyone fall in love with her instantaneously "I had once promised you that your love story would always be one that would be remembered for ages. You and Jason," Jason flinched as Piper's mother said his name "have a great story. Of course, not the greatest one of this age" She eyed Percy and Annabeth standing to Jason's right. "But compared to normal demigods, I don't think a daughter of my own could've asked for better."

"Thank you...?" Piper sounded completely ungenuine about her mother's praise. Honestly, it almost felt that Aphrodite was being proud of herself rather than her daughter.

Just then Zeus stirred "Aphrodite, give her a proper speech, that declares her _own_ contribution to the _war_ "

Aphrodite rolled her eyes "Fine..." She went back to looking at Piper "Of course, you know that I'm proud of you, and if your dad would know what you did, he would totally be proud of you. I've learned enough about him to know that. Your role as a mediator between the Romans and Greeks played a more essential role than you realize. Anyways," She put her hand to her waist. "having a calm, happy ending? Now, that is never interesting enough, but I can understand everyone's desire for it. So, I , being the amazing mother that I am, made sure that your ending would be both interesting, and happy. I won't share the details with you, because that's like spoiling the end of a good romance movie, but I promise you this: Your love story would be one remembered for ages. Kind of like Romeo and Juliet."

Piper looked almost unsatisfied. Jason could tell that the anxiety was eating her from the inside-out. She wanted more information of how her big love story ending with him was, but a part of Jason told him that this should be hidden for the time being. Jason felt appreciative that his story with Piper would be as memorable as Romeo and Juliet's, except maybe the tragedy part at the end.

"Thank you, mother" Piper sounded a little too ungrateful

"Oh, I'm not done just yet." Aphrodite declared "I took the liberty of creating a new closet for you back at Cabin ten. I picked out everything."

"Mother!" Piper grimaced

"No, no, no. None of my girly clothes. I picked out all pants, and shorts, flannel shirts. You know the type of things you wear"

"Oh," Piper bowed "Thank you."

Aphrodite sat back down, then a woman stood on the throne that was near Aphrodite. Athena. Jason had seen the Athena Parthenos enough times to recognize Athena. She had long black hair and intense gray eyes which looked as if she was thinking of a million things at once. She wore a long strapless grey dress that matched her eyes. She looked so much like Annabeth, it made Jason's skin crawl. The only difference between the both of them was their hair. Annabeth's was blonde, while Athena's was as black as Nico's shadows.

"Annabeth, my dear" She announced, as Annabeth walked forward. She was so confident and unafraid, unlike everyone who had walked across to their parents' throne. She had done this enough times to know that each and ever god in this room respected her. Afterall, she is the architect of Olympus. "Two years ago, I had awarded you with your ultimate dream. Designing the eternal city, and well, you go and contribute in another war a year later. Not to mention, your ability to withstand what every child of mine had been trying to recover for two thousand years, the Athena Parthenos. You astonish me every day, Annabeth Chase. If anyone deserves anything, it is you. You have risen above all heroes, and all demigods. Exceeding every expectation there is. And so, my gift to you is my riches?"

"My.. my lady?"

"I have talked to your mentor, Chiron, and he mentioned a little project you had in mind. New Athens, was it? The only problem was the lack of funding, so I am giving you as much riches from me as your heart desires."

"I appreciate your gift, my lady." Annabeth said "But, my life is now centered in New Rome. I can't transport back and forth across the United States every day."

"Patience, my child. For now, that is all you need to know."

Annabeth bowed at the feet of her mother. Jason didn't understand a word of Athena's gift, but he was sure that it had made Annabeth filled with happiness, and that was important.

After Athena took a seat, a huge lump of a man stood. He had a leg in a steel brace, a misshapen head, and a wild brown beard, with fire flickering through his whiskers. The Lord of the Forges, Vulcan- Hephaestus. Leo's dad.

"Valdez" Hephaestus rumbled. His voice was deep, and strong. Leo walked up to his dad's gears and electric wires throne, "I had once told you that I was never good at understanding organic life forms. I could never comprehend how you could completely sacrifice your short life just for the sake of the safety of others. That kind of courage is rare, son. You should know that I'm proud of you, but I know that would mean nothing to you, so I would want you to know that if Esperanza was here right now, she'd be the proudest parent in this universe."

Leo wiped away a tear trickling down his cheek. Jason had never seen Leo cry before, but if anything touched him, it was definitely his deceased mother.

"You understand that if there was any chance of bringing her back, I wouldn't hesitate, but this is a law against nature, my boy."

"I know." Leo said, his voice cracking

"I have created a gift for you." He brought out a bottle, with a ship inside it. The kind that you would see in someone's house or office as a decoration. "Here."

"A ship in a bottle?" Leo asked sarcastically "What every child wants from their immortal, all-powerful parent"

"Was that sarcasm?"

"No, sir."

"Just look at it"

Leo studied the bottle "Its-its the Argo. My Argo."

"I had stored it away after it was destroyed. Mended it a little. Of course it doesn't have the dragon head anymore, but if you open the bottle lid, it'll grow back to its original size, you know, in case you need it, or miss it."

"Wow. That's awesome!" Leo exclaimed "Thanks, pops" He bowed respectfully.

When everyone went back to their original spot, Zeus stood up. Jason gulped, and closed his eyes. He was definitely not ready to know what his father has in store for him. He waited for his father to call his name any moment now, but instead "Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano" He bellowed.

His former colleague walked up to the king of the gods. She knelt before him, then stood. "Your mother wasn't able to be here today. She always thought that these meetings were too Greek for her taste, but, nevertheless, she had wanted you to know that you have made her proud, and she had left you this" Zeus snapped his fingers, and a golden sword emerged from the air. "An imperial gold weapon that she had used herself. She trusts that you will like it, and make good use of it."

"Thank you, my lord" Reyna bowed. She had a faint smile on her face, but from what Jason knows about Reyna, he know that she was content.

When Reyna stood back next to her sister, Hylla, Zeus looked over at his right, where his brother was sitting. They nodded, and Poseidon stood. Jason could feel the powers radiating from the two gods standing, and wondered how the throne room hadn't crumbled down in ruins yet.

"Percy Jackson, and Jason Grace!" Their voices bellowed in unison. Jason locked eyes of worry with Percy, and he could tell that Percy wasn't anywhere as nervous as Jason was. When he came to think about it, Jason realized that this is probably Percy's fourth time confronting Zeus and Poseidon together, and it wasn't much of a challenge for him. For Jason, it was the first time, and he could feet his own blood pressure in his finger tips. They approached their parents' thrones and knelt before them.

"You two" Poseidon said "are the reason that Romans and Greeks today can celebrate the Feast of Spes together. You have opened our eyes to the fact that there is a Roman in every Greek, and a Greek in every Roman. For that, we cannot separate Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood apart anymore."

"There comes in your way the obstacle of distance." Zeus continued "You may have noticed that in your fight against the sorceress Pasiphae, a certain Labyrinth had been resurrected. Over the past year, this Labyrinth grew underground connecting every corner of the Earth, even Long Island to San Francisco Bay "

"But," Poseidon said "We know that the Labyrinth's magic can become very unstable and unpredictable, so we have asked Hermes, god of travelers and Hecate, goddess of magic, to craft a pathway underground to connect the two camps."

"It is completely safe" Zeus said "Clear of monsters, and easy to follow. Hecate had protected it with a barrier to keep any intruders from entering. Sort of resembling the barrier radiating from Thalia's Pine Tree in Camp Half-Blood."

Percy and Jason shared a look. _A pathway underground to connect the two camps?_ Jason asked himself. _It seemed like a crazy dream._

"Are you sure" Percy asked "Because from what I remember, magic is very unstable, especially in the Labyrinth."

"Are you doubting our powers, Percy Jackson?" Zeus asked

"I'm just saying," Percy replied "Things can get pretty messy down there."

"You are heroes, are you not?" Zeus said, carefully studying his words "You can handle a few monsters. But I assure you, it is safe."

Percy and Jason locked eyes "I think it's time to finally bury the hatchet forever" Jason said

"Maybe," Percy replied "But I can still take you in a fight though, Grace"

"We'll see, Jackson" Jason grinned, then Percy and Jason hugged. It was a brotherly hug, symbolizing the start of a new era of peace and coexistence between Romans and Greeks, after two centuries of hate and division.

"Now," Zeus said. Jason and Percy let go "Percy Jackson, you have been a man of two great prophecies. That has never been done before. Your powers in overcoming Tartarus' tricks and wits astonished the lot of us."

"Yet, dear brother," Poseidon interrupted "Jason Grace was the man of the first prophecy in the western sphere of power, and he is certainly one of the seven."

"Wait," Percy said "I know where this is going. You're planning to disintegrate us? Right here? I was supposed to _die_ in the first prophecy. I had accepted my death sentence, but The Fates went ahead and wrote me a new future. Little did I realize that my new future included an impossible trip through Tartarus, where no hero has ever survived, but here I am. _Again_. I didn't go through all this mess to protect all of you, to have you decide that my purpose in life is done. That you have used everything there is to use out of me. I am not an object. I deserve my happy ending with my friends and my fiancé, whether you want me to have it or not"

"If you want to end us," Jason said "That wouldn't make you any better than Gaea. You would be just as cruel and unfair as you continue on this path, someone will be heading this way to end you the way we ended her. And just to let you know, spouting death threats in front of ten all-powerful heroes that put Gaea to eternal sleep might be worse than you would imagine, father"

The room got quite. No hero in history had ever confronted the gods the way Percy and Jason have just done. Everyone was speechless. There was worried looks among Jason's friends. Some excited looks in some gods' faces, like Ares and Dionysus. Other gods, not so much.

Finally, Hermes broke the silence "All in favor for _not_ disintegrating Jason Grace and Percy Jackson"

Every god in the room raised their hand, including Zeus. This might have been the only instance in which all the Olympian Council had agreed.

"You two have courage." Zeus said, as he sat back in his throne "I shall not forget this."

Silence again. Finally, Dionysus yawned "Is it time for the after party, yet?"

"Not just yet." Zeus decided as he gestured Percy and Jason dismissively back to their spot with the rest of their friends. "First we have to discuss the matter of my dear wife, and the issue of my son."


	13. The Wrath of Zeus

(A/N: No older Jason and Annabeth in this chapter because its like a second part of the one before.)

Jason stood shaking next to Piper. He had just threatened the king of the gods, Zeus himself. He wasn't sure if the shaking was part of the after-reflex of confronting his dad, or that Zeus was sending a radiation of fear through Jason's spine. He wondered if Percy was feeling the same way, considering that his threat was way longer than Jason's.

"As the god of honor and justice," Zeus said "I took initiative in recognizing that Gaea's awakening could have been delayed, if not prevented, if it wasn't for Apollo and Hera. Apollo's prophecy was premature. His new oracle had just been possessed by the Spirit of Delphi for merely seconds, when she announced the Prophecy of Seven. Then, there's my wife, who took no order, permission, or an advice from me. She carved the fate, thinking it was the only way."

Just as Zeus said that, the twelve-feet golden gates to the throne room sprung open, and entered three grey figures, about 9-feet in height each. Jason focused on them, and they appeared to be three old women. They were wrinkled and leathery, like an old worn pair of boots as they moved across the room, their feet shuffled like dry leaves in the wind, their backs humped. They were dressed in grey tattered robes, with one of them holding a basket of colorful yarn.

One of them eyed Jason, and suddenly he was taken into a vision, sort of like Hestia's at Camp Half-Blood's hearth, but this one sent shivers up Jason's spine. He saw himself, age twenty, in a college dorm. Then, he saw himself age forty, in a house, with kids running around. Then, age sixty, wrinkled and old, sitting with Piper on a rocking chair, sipping tea. Finally, he saw his own tombstone, an open grave, and a coffin being lowered into the ground.

"Did you see that?" Piper asked him, her face as terrified as he felt

"Yeah." He replied, though he knew they saw different images, about her life.

"My lord" The fates said in unison, as they bowed to Zeus. Everyone in the room shuddered from their presence. He gestured for them to rise, then he stood, facing the Olympian council.

"Hera," Zeus announced "believes that the route she took by switching Percy Jackson and Jason Grace's lives in the Roman and Greek camps was the only path. She had chosen to interpret the prophecy in her own way, and took matters, without hesitation about the possibilities. I invited the Fates to show her the different paths that would have been possible. Less destructive, less damage."

Zeus gestured for the Fates, inviting them to start. They swung their arms together, and fog encircled the room. The hearth fire died, and a cold feeling settled in. Small faint images appeared in the fog, then in the middle, one image became the clearest.

Jason focused on the image, and could see an image of the New York skyline, only it had more buildings. Jason recognized the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and a new building around two hundred stories in height. There was a thunderstorm churning. Then the scene changed to Long Island Sound. The scene zoomed in at the Big House, only it was brown instead of sky-blue.

Chiron stepped out of the front door, with a thirty-year old man. He had dark hair, a thick beard, and sea-green eyes. Jason immediately recognized the man as Percy, only in the future. Then a fourteen year-old, who looked _a lot_ like Percy, only with blonde hair instead of black, came out and stood between him and Chiron. He had the same bright sea-green eyes and mischievous smirk as Percy, but with Annabeth's blonde hair, and the look that she gave, as if thinking of a thousand things at the same time.

 _You are the leader of this quest, Luke_. Chiron said. It is up to you entirely who to choose to accompany you. _The seven demigods from the prophecy await your decision._

The scene changed, then the same kid, stood with six others. One of them Jason did recognize: Thalia Grace. She looked exactly the way she did right now. Sixteen years-old, with black hair, electric blue eyes and a dark clothes. Jason thought about this alternate reality, where his sister was one of the seven rather than him.

One thing that the alternate seven had in common, is that they were all from Camp Half-Blood. All Greek, no Romans. Jason could tell as he scanned the demigods' weaponry, and studied their fighting style.

Jason didn't seem to recognize any other demigod from the alternate seven, until he noticed a short guy. He looked so much like Piper, with the brown complexion and colorful eyes, but Jason couldn't help but noticing that his hair had matched Leo's exactly, not to mention the look on his face, letting you know he's about to ruin everything in sight. _Ewww._ Jason thought immediately.

"Is that-?" Leo stuttered. His jaw hung open.

"I think I'm gonna go throw up" Piper muttered

"How do you think I feel?" Jason shuddered

The scene shifted to the seven demigods battling giants, alongside the gods in Athens. They managed to eliminate almost all of them. All that was left was Hippolytos, the bane of Hermes, god of trickery. He managed to sneak up on Luke and Thalia and slashed them with a dagger, spilling their blood on the ancient lands, waking the Earth mother, Gaea.

The final fight occurred on the ancient city of Athens. The alternate seven slashed hopelessly against Gaea. Luke willed the salt water spring to his control. Thalia summoned lightening. Leo and Piper's son shot fireballs at the goddess, but it was all in vain.

 _I have to do this, Luke_. Thalia said

 _No, Thalia._ Percy's son, Luke, said. _There has to be another way_

 _There is no other way! None of us are making her any weaker._ Thalia admitted. _Take one for the time, right?_

 _Thalia..._ Luke said softly. _Please._

She grabbed his orange camp shirt, and kissed him. _I love you, Luke._

Thalia summoned a whole storm, charged with million volts of lightning. She summoned the winds and lifted Gaea off the ground. _Back away!_ She yelled at the other six, as she zapped Gaea's body with the lightning deflected off her spear, consuming so much energy from her body. _I'm sorry, Artemis._ She whispered as the storm made an explosion so big, Jason was sure that not even the Physician's cure could've cured Thalia.

Then the fog shimmered, and Jason was brought back to reality. He stood before fourteen unimpressed gods, ten very shocked mortals, and three creepy grandmas. "That was the first scenario." Zeus said "As we know, every situation can occur in three possibilities, hence, three fates." He nodded at the Fates, who grinned, and more fog filled the throne room again.

This time, the fog showed the Senate House in New Rome. Jason wondered what year that was, until he saw a banner at one of the hill houses that said "Felix Novus Annus 2113" which translated to "Happy New Year 2113"

 _Okay_. Jason thought. _There's no way I'm alive in this scenario_. But when the Senate House's doors opened, demigods were chanting _Ave Praetor Grace!_

"Jason?" Frank asked

"I-" Jason was speechless

When all the demigods had exited the House, a 16-year old girl had emerged. She had silky, glossy black hair, which flowed next to her had a sandy complexion, smooth and tawny. Her eyes, though, didn't match the rest of her face. She had electric blue eyes, which looked a lot like Thalia's. It stuck out in a unique way, making it her most notable feature. She wore a Praetor's purple cloak, with combat armor underneath like Reyna always did, and she held an Imperial Gold _Gladius_ like Jason's. He wondered who she was, and why they had been calling her "Praetor Grace"

He got his answer when he noticed her forearm. It held her SPQR tattoo, with twelve lines, and a crossed sword and torch on top, and an eagle at the bottom. A senator came in and addressed the girl. _Praetor Kym Grace, you leading the six demigods into the Prophecy of Seven is a great honor for the twelfth legion. I admire your persistence in convincing the Senate in agreeing to bless your quest to the Mare Nostrum. You will face many dangers, but I am sure that the bravery and courage that run in your blood will be your savior. Your grandparents, Praetors Reyna and Jason Grace would be proud._

 _Thank you,_ Kym said as she touched her ring, the same ring Reyna always wears in reality. _I miss them_

"I'm sorry" Jason told Piper. He figured that she's hating the fact that if it wasn't for Hera, then Reyna and him would be together, creating generations of Praetor demigods.

"For what?" She asked

"You know, me and Reyna. Our grand kid saving the world, killing Gaea."

"That's not real, though. Your grand kids will be all mine, won't they?"

"Well... I kind of promised Percy we would be raising our kids together."

"You know," Piper grimaced "you and Percy are getting _way_ too close to each other"

"Hey!" Jason complained

The image in the fog shifted. Jason saw his granddaughter leading six demigods into a dark void, with a faint red glow. All the demigods had cuts and wounds. Some of them even limped. They looked in such bad shape, it was hard to tell if they were even alive anymore. Jason imagined that this must have been the Underworld, but he's never been there, so he wasn't sure.

 _Come on._ Kym said encouragingly. _Only a few more miles until the Doors of Death. We can't give up now._

Suddenly Jason realized that this dark abyss had been Tartarus. Jason got goose bumps every time he heard stories about that place from Percy or Annabeth.

The alternate seven demigods approached the heart of Tartarus. There stood at least ten-thousand monsters, awaiting in a line. In the far end, stood a small elevator, colored with silver and black. The elevator had chains holding it down to the ground of the abyss, as if it can escape on its own. The seven all gazed down upon the piles of monsters, understanding that there is no way to get across the abyss without putting up a fight.

Kym looked back at her team, and said _Octavian, as augur of the Twelfth Legion, what is your advice?_ This augur looked like an exact replica of Octavian. _The_ Octavian. The one who launched himself as a big fiery ball into Gaea's face. Jason guessed that this demigod, in the alternate reality, might have been named after his grandfather.

 _I advice that this is stupid._ Octavian muttered. _There is absolutely no way we're ever getting out of here alive. It's a miracle we survived this far with barely any food or water. If we go out there, we'll just be squished. Turned to ash. Eaten as a snack._

 _Thank you for the vote of confidence, esteemed augur._ Kym said sarcastically. _Any other advice?_

A girl emerged from the back. She didn't look familiar for once, so Jason relaxed a bit. She had black eyes, which gleamed with either madness or genius. Jason couldn't decide. She had silky dark hair, pulled back into a braid. She is lean and about average height. She had olive skin, and wore a floppy green hat that hid her face. She was extremely thin, probably from the starvation in Tartarus, but she looked the least affected compared to the others.

 _I think I can contact the dead for advice. She said_

 _Are you sure that's a good idea?_ Kym asked. _We're in the midst of Tartarus. They could turn on us, it's their source of power._

 _Trust me._ She said it with so much confidence, Jason thought she might've been using charmspeak.

The girl closed her eyes, and concentrated. Out of nowhere an image shimmered. The ghost was so dark, he blended into the Tartarus air, as if he didn't exist. Jason focused a bit and realized he recognized this ghost.

"Nico!" Hazel exclaimed.

Jason turned to real-life-Nico, and saw him crying. Will Solace tried to comfort him, but Jason noticed Nico pushing him away. Jason didn't understand why Nico was being so emotional, at least not until he looked back at the fog image

Fog-Nico stood with his aviator jacket, Stygian Iron sword on his side, and a skull ring on his finger. He didn't look any different from what he looked in real-life. Maybe sixteen or seventeen years-old, but same height, pale looks, and sunken cheeks.

 _Bianca_. He declared.

 _You_. Bianca replied. _Stop following me. I don't need you._

 _Please, let me help you._ Fog-Nico pleaded, as a tear trickled down his cheek, but Bianca just looked away flicked her wrist, dismissing the ghost. Then the fog image shifted.

The seven were seen close to the Doors. They charged for the monsters, which they hardly stood a chance. Bianca had helped by raising a couple of dead legionnaires, but their loyalties sometimes wavered. Kym ran for the elevator, holding it open. She took out her _gladius_ and swung it at the chains holding the elevator down. As she was about to slash the last one a titan stood in her way.

He was about twenty feet tall, wearing a Stygian iron armor with stars on it, while his helmet it shaped like a ram's head with horns on it. He had a massive sword slung to his right side, and gave Kym a look of pity. Jason immediately realized who that Titan was: Krios. He had destroyed him two years ago, during the Battle of Mount Othyrs, using his bare hands.

 _So close, little demigod._ Krios said.

 _Get out of my way, before you get hurt._ Kym said, her voice so strong _. I destroyed every monster I faced here, don't be just another number. Run while you can._

 _You don't know who I am, do you?_ Krios shook his head. _I assumed that you at least heard stories about your grandfather about me._

 _My- My grandfather?_ She hesitated

 _My... I'm Krios, Titan of the South_. He admitted. _Your grandfather destroyed me a hundred years ago. Now, I'm going to destroy you, Kymopoleia_ _Grace._

 _I don't think you know who I am either_. Kym raised her _gladius. I'm a descendant of Jupiter and Bellona! I'm a child of Rome, consul to demigods, praetor of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata. I'm the only one of seven demigods to cross Tartarus. I survived the Mansion of Night. I destroyed thousands of monsters with nothing but my hands. And now I'm going to destroy you, Krios._

Kym and Krios engaged in a combat and the fog shifted one last time. Krios and Hyperion lay in a pile of ash, next to Kym. She looked exhausted, out of breath, balancing herself on the line between death and life. The other six demigods had different fights of their own, but they looked just as bad.

Kym saw an opening and took it, she ran back to the last chain, and slashed it with her _gladius_. _Guys, get in!_ She yelled at her fellow Romans. They followed her orders and entered the elevator doors, hundreds of angry monsters following them.

 _Get inside, Kym_. Octavian said. _We don't have much time._

 _I can't._ She admitted

 _What do you mean?_

 _Someone has to make sure this button remains pressed for twelve minutes, otherwise you'd end up in the space between life and death. I must be the one to do it._

 _No._ Octavian said. _This isn't fair. You didn't take our advice on this._

 _My grandma has always taught me that a leader has to take bold decisions, for the betterment of his group._ She said as she leaned against the elevator doors, studying the faces of six crying demigods, with dozen Dracaena approaching her from the back. _I'll protect you no matter what happens, I swear it on the River Styx. I'll see you in Elysium, Romans._

Saying this, she closed the doors, and all she heard was grunts and screams. She turned to face the incoming monsters and cried _For Rome!_

With that, Zeus gestured to the Fates to a stop. The three Fates giggled manically and disappeared into a cloud of grey mist. The fog suddenly faded, and light shined through the Olympian throne room again. "After what you all just witnessed," Zeus declared "There were less damaging ways into fulfilling the Prophecy of Seven. Ways that didn't involve the combination of Greeks and Romans."

"All in favor for punishing Hera for her reckless decision" Athena said

Zeus, Apollo, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Dionysus, Artemis and Hermes raised their hands respectively .

"We have a ruling vote." Athena announced.

"Then, what is left to do is decide a proper punishment for-"

"You didn't ask out opinion?" Piper mustered up the courage to interrupt Zeus. Jason was impressed.

"Excuse me?" Zeus said infuriatingly.

"In all due respect, Great Zeus," Piper continued "but we have a right to be heard. Our opinion is just as important-"

"What Piper is trying to say is," Annabeth stopped her before Piper said anything that would her disintegrated "We like to contribute our experience with Hera to help you decide the punishment you will plan for her"

Zeus brushed his thick beard, but he probably figured _What's the harm? I could just kill them if I don't like what they say._ "Go ahead."

Percy stepped up "Hera had been one of the cruelest, heartless, and harshest immortal I had ever met, and I met a lot of immortals. If I had to make a list of the most evil immortals in the universe, Hera would definitely rank number two, right after Gaea."

"She hated me for _years_ , just because I insulted her."Annabeth chimed in "She had made my life a living hell, and I know exactly what that feels like, thanks to her. She almost crushed me with a boulder, _during_ the time I was saving _her_ source of power. She took away the person I had loved most, and made me believe he was dead for months."

Hera muttered under her breath what seemed like "I'm going to strangle her"

"She tried to roast me" Leo said "like a marshmallow when I was a baby, and she threw me to a bunch of rattlesnakes, thinking that would make me a better hero. What kind of goddess of motherhood is that?" He scanned the room, meeting every Olympian's gaze, then looked back at Jason and the others "But, I'll have to admit, if I had to pick my favorite Olympian, it would definitely be her."

Gasps and whispers flowed among the council members. "That's right." Leo said "You know why? Because she had introduced to the most amazing people of all time."

"She helped me find my soulmate." Piper said, as she placed her hand on Jason's chest, prom picture style. "Not to mention, find the strength in me."

"Without her, I wouldn't be the person I am today." Frank admitted.

"I don't think I'll even be alive if she hadn't needed me to fulfill the prophecy" Hazel said "And that's not including owing her for introducing me to my future husband." She looked up at Frank, and kissed him on the cheek.

"And mine." Nico said. His eyes were still puffy from crying, but he proudly held Will's hand.

"I think it's safe to say that despite her being the most annoyingly heartless goddess ever," Jason summed up. "She had left the most important touches in our lives, unlike any of you. You're so afraid that even talking to us would cause a mess in the way the Fates weave destiny, but you're wrong. You have no idea what a true family is. Thanks to Hera, we're now able to enjoy that luxury that you all lack, because we not only have one family now, we have two. And you have no idea how much it hurt me to just watch a fake version of my sister plummet to her death, or my fake granddaughter closing the Doors of Death with no way to come back."

Jason looked at Hera who mouthed "Thank you." Then he looked back at his father, his cold electric blue eyes studied him. His think eyebrows were arched, in anger. His fingers fiddled with his black trimmed beard. Jason felt as if an electric shock had passed his body. They'd gone too far.

"From what I understand now," Zeus drew his face away from Jason, "Our family has been far too divided, that we no longer understand the real concept of family. We have been dragged away from each other, disrespectful, spiteful, vengeful. Is that correct?"

"I know that I had hardly talk to any of my siblings any more." Poseidon admitted "I have been pulled away by my duties in my own kingdom that I abandoned my real home, Olympus. Now, I spent all of my time renovating my game room- er, Underwater Palace."

"I have never been a real family member to anyone in here." Athena said. "I always thought love is weakness, especially in battles and strategy, but I think I'll have to reevaluate my tradition"

"I've never ever liked any of you, really." Aphrodite said "I mean, except Ares, but that's a different thing. I'm the goddess of love, but I don't think I've shown any one real love in here, and I think I wanna change that."

"I hate organic life forms" Hephaestus said "They don't come with instruction manuals. They break too easily, and then there's emotions. I hate spending time with them because I thought that it had made me a worse mechanic, but my son, Leo, had shown me that having a family gives you an unlimited source of inspiration."

Zeus tapped his chin "Well, I believe I had found the best punishment for Hera"

"But-" Jason said

"Son," Zeus continued "you've already said enough for today. You should be grateful you're not on your way to the Underworld at the moment. Hera, I have decided to banish you from Mount Olympus for the next three hundred years."

"You're sending me to one of those puny camps? Husband-"

"Oh no. The camps would allow for more interaction between you and demigods, and I would like to avoid that as much as possible, given what you had done last year. I want you to join our brother, Hades in his Underworld palace."

"And Persephone, of course." Demeter added

"Not quite. I had arranged that during the winter, Persephone would be joining me here, on Mount Olympus. I haven't spent quality time with my daughter this past millennia, and I intend to change that. Now, dear wife. You will not be allowed on Mount Olympus, except on the winter solstice, emergency meetings and if I request for you. Otherwise, you should make a home of the Underworld."

"Who will monitor the family issues while I'm gone? You surely understand my influence on the Olympic family."

"I will assign your duty to two people: Persephone and Pontifex Maximus Jason Grace."

"P-P-Pontifex M-Maximus?"

"Yes, you deserve the title, my son." He turned to the rest of the Council "Does he not?"

No one argued. "All in favor for Hera's exile?" Poseidon asked

Everyone except Ares and Dionysus raised their hands.

"Then it's settled." Zeus concluded "By dusk, Hera should have moved to Hades' palace for the following three hundred years."

Conversations started among the Olympians "Is it party time yet?" Dionysus asked, mid-yawn.

"Silence!" Zeus bellowed, and the voices died down "We have one more issue to settle before the council is dismissed." He cleared his throat and stood from his throne, walking around the hearth "As you all know, the earth-dragon Python is currently stirring at Delphi, preventing the Oracle of Delphi, and Apollo from receiving images of prophecies. Python's recapture is of course considered as one of Apollo's many failures in the Second Giant war. He hasn't assigned a quest to kill the beast. He hasn't handled it himself. He's been a lazy, gullible fool, a complete abomination to the Olympian race."

Jason glanced at Apollo. He had taken off his Ray-Bans, his eyes full of fear and horror. Jason guessed that the god might be either shaking or peeing his pants, by now. Jason knew it was unfair for Zeus to punish one person for the rise of Gaea, but if Jason interrupted Zeus again, he wouldn't live long enough to know what's for dinner tonight.

"I have decreed that your punishment be consisted of two parts: For your vanity and conceit, and the shame you have brought to our family, you shall be retaught how an Olympian should be. Thus, you shall enter Camp Half-Blood, as a demigod. I will strip you of your immortality for the upcoming ten years, and by Chiron's teachings, I expect you to emerge a decade from today, as a different god, just like our sons and daughters who emerged stronger and wiser after their lessons on Half- Blood Hill." He paused, and sat back on his throne. "The second part will be fighting Python. I expect you to defeat the beast as a half-god. If these demigods," He gestured to Jason and the rest of the demigods "can defeat giants and titans, surely you can defeat a skinny snake. Any objections?"

No one spoke. Some whispered "He deserved it." Others muttered "That's too harsh" but everyone knew better than to oppose Zeus right now. "Son, come here" Zeus commanded Apollo, and gestured for him to stand directly in front of his throne.

Apollo stood from his golden throne and inched forward to where Zeus had pointed. His face was frozen in a glassy stare of horror "My lord, please—"

"Not a word." Zeus said as he raised his hand in a swish motion. Jason heard thunder rumbling outside the palace. A cloud of white glitter and clear fog entered the room. The clouds encircled Apollo until no one could see him anymore. A few lightning bolts sparked from the clouds, but they didn't look harmful.

In reality, the cloud might have encircled him for only a few minutes, but for an ADHD demigod like Jason, it lasted for what seemed like a century. Finally the clouds faded and Apollo was in sight again. Instead of being ten feet tall, he was about 5' 10", same height as Jason. His clothes had changed. Instead of his casual outfit, he wore an orange camp shirt, black and a white Letterman jacket with A on the right chest, ripped jeans and black Converse shoes. His Ray Bans hung in his shirt. His blonde hair was brushed up, his blue eyes appeared darker, compared to before. his teeth weren't blinding white anymore. He was still muscular and tan, but you couldn't feel the same aura of power radiating from him, or see the bright glow that shone from his skin.

When the clouds completely cleared the room, he collapsed to his knees, as if not used to his new mortal legs. Artemis ran for him, shrinking in size each step of the way. She held his shoulders "Brother, are you well?"

He raised his head to meet her gaze "Fine."

"You will reside in Cabin one," Zeus announced "as you are a child of mine. You shall remain in contact with your children in the Apollo cabin, as they are your camp mates now. Don't fail me again."

Dionysus raised his hands "Can we go now?"

"Yes." Zeus said "I believe it's time this council is dismissed."

"Finally," Dionysus said "The party I've been waiting for"


	14. The After Party Goes Haywire

(A/N: That last chapter took me forever to write, but it ended up being too long. I'll try to make this one shorter, but no promises. I just get so carried away when I write.)

It was 6:45 PM. The sun was setting, and the cold weather was settling in the California air. Cold licked at Annabeth's face and crept under her clothes, spreading across her skin like the lacy tide on a frigid winter beach. With her lips tinged with blue and gently chattering teeth she wrapped her blanket around her tighter.

Jason and Annabeth gathered at the small Jackson kitchen. She whisked together the cocoa, sugar, and milk in a small saucepan, until the hot chocolate were ready. She added a few marshmallow pieces and served them to Jason, who was sitting on one of the kitchen stools.

"Any Thanksgiving plans this year?" Annabeth broke the silence.

"Chiron was planning to host it at his house in New Athens this year." Jason sipped from his drink "We were going to invite everyone. Kind of like a reunion of our big family."

"Well," Annabeth said "Not a complete reunion, at least"

"I know." Jason said glumly "It won't ever be the same without them. Parties would always go wrong whenever all the seven gathered."

"Oh gods," Annabeth laughed as she was taken by another blast of the past.

This was Annabeth's second Olympian party, and although she had been to a small number of concerts, raves and mortal high school parties, she knew that Olympian parties were top-notch.

All gods had reduced to normal-human size. A few minor gods and goddesses had joined the party, including the Nine Muses, who performed on a large stage, radiating magical music. The crowd was filled with people doing the most random dance moves, probably because the music changed depending on the person's desire.

Dionysus went around growing refreshment stands out of the ground, and a beautifulwoman walked with him arm in arm—his wife, Ariadne. Nectar and ambrosia overflowed from golden fountains, and platters of mortal snackfood crowded the banquet tables. Golden goblets filled with whatever drink you wanted.

Leo trotted around with a full plate of tacos and enchiladas. Calypso had joined the party, mysteriously, despite her not being there at the Olympian meeting. She had a gorgeous Ancient-Greek-style white silk dress, and her hair was braided to her side. She kept rambling about how Leo ate too much and danced too little.

Piper and Jason were slow-dancing in the crowd. Jason whispered something in her ear, and she chuckled. They were soon approached by Aphrodite. Annabeth didn't have super-hearing abilities, but when she had designed the dance room, she included her own secrets. This included the fact that if someone would stood in the right spot, they could hear a conversation all the way from the other side of the room.

"You did well, my darling." Aphrodite said "I haven't felt pride in my children since Romulus established the Empire of Rome, which is to say a long time."

"Thanks..." Piper sounded unsure "I wanted to ask you something."

"Anything, dear." By now, Aphrodite had pulled her small mirror and mascara, and began perfecting her perfect eye makeup.

"I've heard several children of yours talking about this Rite of Passage. That for a child of Aphrodite to prove themselves worthy to you, they must fall in love and break that person's heart."

"Oh yes. Best feeling in the world when you see someone's heart broken because of you. Too bad you can't feel this satisfaction. I kind of like this boy" She gestured at Jason with her eyeliner pencil.

"No. It's wrong. You're the goddess of love, not the goddess of broken hearts. Change that tradition. Make your rite of passage finding your soulmate and your true love."

"I'm also the goddess of beauty, and my children's beauty shouldn't be wasted on one person their entire life."

"And what would that earn them?"

Aphrodite lowered her mirror. "I think I might have to reevaluate my culture, but don't get your hopes up. I kind of like seeing broken hearted people weeping and in pain because of love" She turned and walked towards Ares.

Piper looked back at Jason "Where were we?" She asked

"I think I was about to do this" Jason held her waist and kissed her.

For a second, Annabeth was happy that her best friend was happy, but after a while she got uncomfortable staring at the couple.

She glanced around the room again and saw Frank and Hazel talking, with plates of food in their hands. Their height difference was even bigger now. Hazel was probably 5' 3" and Frank was 6'6". It was kind of adorable how these two worked.

"I can't believe I'll live without my firewood now. It's as if a huge world just opened for me" He ate a whole pizza in one bite

"I don't think that world is food, Frank. Easy on the pizza"

"Sorry. It's just, with my firewood and all, I never actually thought that I'd have a long life. I'm just so excited to live the next seventy years with you."

"Me too." Hazel stood at her tippy toes and kissed Frank "Speaking of, what are our plans?"

"Plans?" Frank sounded confused

"You know with our future."

"Oh," He swallowed another bit of pizza "I don't know. I was thinking we'd serve for the legion for about eight more years, then we can probably settle down in New Rome, get married, have a small ceremony, just friends. Later we can have maybe two kids, then send them off to either Camp Half-Blood of Camp Jupiter. We can then live our retired life together. Grow old, and die in each others arms"

Hazel stared at him with disbelief.

"Or something like that. I haven't really thought about it"

"You haven't _thought_ about it? Frank, you have everything planned out!"

"I just want our life to be perfect."

"I love you so much, Frank Zhang"

"I love you, too, Hazel Levesque"

They kissed and walked to the dance floor. Annabeth turned her head one last time, and saw Nico, in the shadows. She did a double-take because she wasn't sure if he was actually there, given he blended really well in darkness. She couldn't see his facial expression but she was sure he had been crying. Seeing Bianca again has triggered buried pain and misery.

He was approached by Reyna. "Everything okay?"

"Fine." He wiped what might have been a tear trickling down his cheek

"Hey. Remember in Buford, when I had told you about how I killed my dad's Mania?"

"Yeah"

"I think it's time for you to share, and I don't mean about Jules-Albert. Who's this Bianca person?"

"Reyna, it's—"

"Spill." Reyna made herself comfortable on the floor, and Nico joined her in a conversation about how he had lost Bianca. Annabeth knew this story. Heck, she'd played a part in that story, but hearing it from Nico was quite different. She'd actually felt sorry for him. She had always forgotten the fact that Nico is only a fifteen-year old. He'd always seemed older because of his experiences, but this story made him vulnerable. It made him a geeky kid again.

"Nico, I... never knew." Reyna said, as Nico wrapped up his story.

"I don't talk about it." He turned his face away

"I'm so sorry." She touched his hand.

"There's nothing to be sorry about." He straightened his sword. "That's ancient history. Bianca was the single most important person in my life, but not anymore. It's just... when I saw her face again..."

Annabeth was listening intently to their conversation, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Care for a dance?"

She knew this voice was Percy's, but as she turned around, she saw Poseidon, extending his hand. "Of course, my lord." Annabeth blurted.

Annabeth had never really _liked_ dancing, but she knew plenty about it. She. Since the magical music changed for every person, she wasn't sure what type of dancing Poseidon would want, so she waited for him to lead.

Poseidon stood across from Annabeth and bowed. He extended his arm, and Annabeth placed her hand in his, and he led her to the dance floor. He said as he placed his hand on Annabeth's waist, and led her in an Old English ballroom dance. "I've always loved Great Britain. Their dances were so... elegant."

"I'm guessing that has to do with the fact that the English had the strongest navy, and controlled the waters for at least three centuries."

"You're very smart for an eighteen year old." He confessed

"Daughter of wisdom" Annabeth said

"Right..." He paused. "I heard about your engagement. Percy's done quite a job"

"Y—yes, my lord. Percy gets his romantic aspect from you, I'm sure"

"I suppose," He said "But I should have you know that you will make a beautiful bride."

"Thank you."

"Maybe Athena and I will put off our fighting for your wedding."

"Really?"

"I'm cool with it, you just have to convince _her_. She's the hard-headed one."

Annabeth couldn't help but laugh. For a minute, she actually believed her life was normal. She was dancing with her soon-to-be-father-in-law, but then they were stopped by Annabeth's mom, Athena herself.

Poseidon stood near Annabeth "Speaking of the devil," He said sarcastically

"First your son goes after my daughter... Now you." She chided "Like father, like son, I suppose"

"I was dancing with _my_ future daughter-in-law, not _your_ daughter."

"Just to let you know, I didn't approve of this." Athena argued "I won't have a brilliant daughter, like Annabeth, wasted away with a son of yours."

"My son has accomplished more than Hercules, Jason and Theseus combined, Owl head!"

"Barnacle beard!" Athena answered back.

"Feather brain!" Poseidon blurted.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Demeter came in between the two gods, before they exploded.

"Demeter!" Ares whined "You never break up a god fight! Never!" He stormed out angrily.

"Can't you two be a little respectful?" Demeter scolded them "Your children just got _engaged_. Don't you know how sacred that is? Can't you two bury the hatchet already? It's been going on long enough!"

Annabeth glanced over and saw Percy standing in the distance watching their parents get scolded by the goddess of agriculture. Athena turned around and stormed out of the room. Her anger and resentment had left a grey cloud hovering in the Olympian sky.

"If I were you," Demeter told Poseidon "I'd apologize."

"Me?" Poseidon said in disbelief "Apologize to her? She can rot in Tartarus for all I care."

Poseidon disappeared in a warm ocean breeze. Percy and Annabeth exchanged worried looks, but that was as much as they discussed the issue of Poseidon and Athena that night.

Annabeth decided to lay low the rest of the night. She went back to her hearing spot, and blended in with the crowds of naiads. She searched for an interesting conversation to spy on, but the night basically went downhill from Athena and Poseidon's... heated discussion.

By the end of the night, she saw a silvery figure in the distance. Artemis never attended the Olympian parties. They were never her style. Annabeth focused on the silver aura, and saw a blonde guy. _Apollo and Artemis,_ Annabeth thought.

"Brother, no." Artemis argued "You are vulnerable at the time being."

"Don't you think I know that, sister" Apollo snapped "I have been humiliated to my very core, by my dear father. He's possessed too much power for too much time."

"You are beginning to sound like your descendant, Octavian. Or that upstart, Luke Castellan."

"That's because I'm their species now. I'm a stinking demigod!"

"Brother, this anger will pass. I assure you. You need to accept what has happened, and focus on killing Python at the moment. When you ascend back to your throne on Olympus, then we can talk about overthrowing father. Does that sound like a plan?"

"Fine." Apollo grumbled, but as they stopped their argument, Will Solace joined the twins.

"Dad." Will announced "And, Aunt Artemis."

"Hey kid," Apollo said "Guess you'll be seeing a lot of me from now on."

"If we're going to spend the next decade together, you have to stop calling me 'son' or 'kid'. We look the same age."

Apollo laughed for the first time that day. "I really gotta thank you." Apollo said "What you did last year on the field in my name was pretty sick. You made me look a little better in front of the other gods."

"Don't mention it." Will said "And by the way, count me in for your Python quest"

"Excuse me?" Apollo sounded confused.

"You're allowed two companions on a quest. I'll be one of them, but I'll let you pick the other one."

"You got it."

Annabeth's eavesdropping was cut short by a very intoxicated [A/N: Drunk] Mr. D "Annabelle! My favorite student"

"It's Annabeth, Mr.D. And I was never your student, you never taught anything at Camp."

"Riiii— _hic_ —iight. But you always stood out like a strawberry in a bowl of peas. You were _special_." He leaned on a column that attached the floor to the ceiling.

"Thank you...?" Annabeth felt reluctant to leave him, but she knew how gods can get offended by that.

"You're nothing like your mother. _Hic_. You have blonde hair. I've always had a thing for blondes, you know?" Just as he said that, he leaned over and tried to kiss Annabeth.

Annabeth thought fast. She quickly grabbed his wrist and judo- flipped the fat god into the floor. His eyes flickered in purple fire. Annabeth got up and was ready to leave, when Mr. D stood again, and wrapped his arms around her neck. She was trapped. Annabeth tried to kick him in the groin, but no use. Maybe gods didn't feel pain in that area.

Just as she thought there was no escape from the god, Percy came in and punched Dionysus with his fist. He fell over onto the floor again, this time passed out. Annabeth reached over and buried her face in Percy's chest.

"What is the meaning of this?" Zeus bellowed

"Come on, Zeus." Ares interrupted "This party just got exciting!"

"Dionysus, that is twice you have trespassed on a woman that is not yours." Zeus began rambling about honor and dignity. Annabeth's ADHD mind couldn't stay focused, so she turned her heard towards the crowd.

She glanced at Piper, who mouthed something like "Are you okay?" Annabeth nodded at her, which relaxed Piper's shoulders a bit. Reyna had fire in her eyes, as if she was ready to beat the wine god because he trespassed on her friend.

"I have deducted fifty years from your punishment two years ago, but this act is unforgivable. For this, your banishment is increased by twenty years. This party is over!" Zeus flicked his hand, and wind spirits encircled Mount Olympus, lifting all mortals into the air.


	15. The First Day in New Rome

Annabeth took another sip from her drink. She glanced at the time: 8:30pm. Time flew by, reminiscing

about old times. Better times, for that matter.

"I should go make sure Luke's room is at least organized." Annabeth muttered, as she stood.

"It's fine, you don't—" Jason was interrupted by a knock on the front door. "Are you expecting anyone?"

"Not that I know of..." Annabeth admitted, while standing up. She approached the front door, opened it to see a man with a dark coat. His hair was jet black, streaked with white, resulting from age. His cheeks were sunken, eyes full of pain, and a black Stygian iron sword hung at his side.

"Nico?" Annabeth asked "What are you doing in New Rome?"

"You need to come with me." He said urgently "Now!"

Annabeth woke to the smell of hot chocolate and freshly cut grass. She opened her eyes to find herself on the grass of the Bacchus garden, pulled herself up to realize she wasn't the only one. All of the demigods that were at the party were knocked unconscious beside her. She approached Percy, who as usual was drooling, and shook his shoulder.

"Seaweed brain" She smacked his cheek "Get up."

Percy grumbled, and slowly opened his eyes. "What in Poseidon's underpants happened?"

"Last thing I remember was Zeus ordering the Aurae to dismiss us"

"At least we're in one piece..." Percy said "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Annabeth couldn't let one god's attempt to assault her get in her head. She glanced down at her hand to see the diamond ring wrapped around her finger. "I love you, Seaweed brain."

"I love you too" He rubbed his hand on Annabeth's cheek, and leaned forward for a kiss.

The Greek demigods were all packed and ready to leave the next day. Annabeth spent most of her morning re-reading her old books about The Labyrinth. She wanted to distract herself as much as possible from the goodbyes awaiting her. She sheltered herself in Reyna's home for the time being.

There was a knock on the door. "It's open" Annabeth shouted

Hazel came in. It was so weird seeing her so much taller and more muscular than last year on the Argo II. "Hey, I just came here to check on you"

"I'm fine" Annabeth replied

"So, the Greeks are about to depart. Thought I should stop by and let you know"

"Yeah." Annabeth paused "I know"

"You're avoiding it"

"What?"

"You are. It's scaring you. Believe me I know that look"

"Sometimes I forget how old you really are"

Hazel chuckled, and held out her hand "So, are you gonna come?"

Annabeth took a huge sigh. She felt a lump in her throat, but finally agreed to take Hazel's hand. They walked together towards the fields of Mars to see Greek demigods separated into two groups.

"Jason's group through the tunnel" shouted Miranda Gardiner "The rest ride the eagles with me"

Hazel and Annabeth approached Nico and Jason

"What groups?" Hazel asked "What's going on?"

"I found an entrance to the Labyrinth." Nico admitted "Should lead us to Camp Half blood, according to Zeus."

"What?" Annabeth exclaimed "No. I haven't fully researched the maze."

"The Labyrinth shouldn't have survived after Daedalus died. You won't find anything in the books that could help you with its current situation, and there's no better way than to explore it ourselves"

"I should come with you guys"

"It's unnecessary" Jason interrupted "I have to be back at Camp Jupiter in a week anyways. I'll guide them through the tunnels—"

"I've seen the Labyrinth too, Annabeth" Nico reminded her "It'll be fine, and if worse comes to worse, I can always shadow travel everyone out of there. There's only five campers."

Annabeth sighed "I can't stop you, but try to keep me posted"

"You bet" Jason agreed "See you in a week"

Hazel was hugging Nico, then walked away with Jason

"I can do it" Nico admitted "I know that look"

"No." Annabeth replied "I know you can... I just wanted to thank you, Nico. For everything. Gods know I wouldn't be standing here if it weren't for you"

"Don't mention it, and I have a feeling this won't be the last time I save you or your fiancé"

"Somehow I believe you" Annabeth shook Nico's hand, then he proceeded to follow Jason

Greek campers were packing, and getting ready to ride the giant Roman eagles home. She glanced at some of her friends who she might never be seeing again: Travis Stoll kissing Katie Gardiner's cheek, Butch slapping Clovis' head to wake him up, Jake Mason and Miranda Gardiner lecturing Connor Stoll about booby traps, Pollux and Will Solace discussing route options.

Annabeth couldn't help but feel a tear trickling down her cheek. She felt a hand tap her shoulder. She turned to see Thalia.

"You're gonna cry" She said

'No I'm not" She tried to wipe the tear that already fell

"Five drachmas says you're gonna break down in the next 15 minutes"

"Shut up" Annabeth laughed

"Come on," Thalia wrapped her arm around Annabeth's shoulder "Let's go find our friends"

Thalia walked Annabeth past the eagles, where the second group was packing.

"Hey" Thalia said "Got a spot for an extra camper? I need to be in New York. Lady Artemis' orders. Something about a Dracaena"

"Yeah" Jason replied "Of course"

"You guys sure you don't want me there?" Annabeth insisted

"We killed Gaea" Leo said "What's a small maze to us? Am I right?"

"Shut up!" Piper laughed and slapped the back of his head

The second group consisted of Leo, Piper, Jason, Will, Nico and now Thalia. Percy had been there to give them advice and share what he saw in the old Labyrinth.

"Now I'm sure when Pasiphae raised it, its gotten more-"

"Creepy" Leo interrupted

"Yeah and alive" Percy continued "You guys be careful. There's six of you, monsters can pick up your scent faster"

"Also means we can kill them faster" Piper said, then she took a hard look on Percy and Annabeth "Oh, guys, I don't even know where to start."

"No," Annabeth said "We're not doing this. You'll be in college in two years, plus we'll see each other a lot"

"It just won't be the same" Piper voice started to break "Oh gods, I'm gonna miss you so much. You have been the best friend I could ever ask for"

"You too, Piper" Annabeth's voice broke too as she hugged her "None of the amazing things that have happened to me in the last year, would have happened if it wasn't for you. No one has been more like a sister to me..."

"I don't know what I'm gonna do without you" Piper breaks down crying but she slowly lets go of Annabeth

"Jason," Annabeth sniffles "I'll see you next week"

"Yeah," Jason hugged Annabeth "Thanks for everything, Chase"

"Don't mention it, Grace" Annabeth pulled away "You and me... We're not that different"

Annabeth slowly approached Leo "Leo, I've never met a son of Hephaestus like you before—"

"Let me just say something..." Leo interrupted "Because once we get into this, I'm gonna get all uncomfortable and probably make some stupid joke... I just want to say that I... I love you... And, I'm gonna miss you. And I'm so sad that you're leaving."

"Oh, you know what? Let's not say anything else. I love you." Annabeth said while hugging Leo

"Ooh, not so tight" Leo blows raspberry, and the hug ends "I'm sor— Just go. Just go. I can't, I can't."

Percy approached Annabeth with a side hug "You okay?" He whispered

"I will be"

Frank and Reyna made a speech to send off the first group. After they were done, they came down to join the others at the entrance to the Labyrinth.

"Alright," Nico said "This should take us straight to the Labyrinth. It's gonna be dark, so make sure to keep your flashlights handy, or you can walk beside me. Keep your senses peeled for monsters coming our way, and whatever you do, don't separate"

"And if anything happens," Reyna said "We're all just an Iris message away, though Jupiter made certain this path should be clear"

"So this is it, huh?" Percy said

"End of an era" Annabeth said

"Come here you guys" Hazel pulled everyone in to a group hug. Annabeth felt another lump forming in her throat, but this time, it wasn't because of heartache... It was because she realized she's got her whole future in front of her. Her life... It's just begun.


	16. The Maze

Jason's eyes got wider "Nico, what's going on?"

"I don't have time" He said "You need to come with me right now"

Nico grabbed Annabeth and Jason's wrists and the world got ten shades darker

Jason walked beside Nico in the dark tunnels. "Any idea where we're headed?"

Nico touched the left wall "Stick to the left side. Read that in a few books"

Jason raised his eyebrow skeptically "Seriously? You just said this situation wouldn't be in any books"

"I know. I know. This is our best shot for now"

"So you have no idea what you're doing?!" Jason whispered

"I'm making this up as I go"

Jason would argue, but he knew it's useless. They're in the maze already, it's too late. He left Nico alone, and walked by Piper. He put his arm around her shoulder every once in a while. Leo would make a stupid joke every 15 minutes like clockwork to fill the silences. Will and Nico held hands while Nico inspected the walls. Thalia sharpened her knives.

"Walls are getting older." He noticed "These are made of stone."

"So?" Piper asked

"The older the part of the maze is," Thalia explained "the closer we're getting to Daedalus' workshop"

"Closer to the who now?" Leo asked

"The guy who created this place, Deadalus" Will said

"And what's so special about his workshop?" Piper asked

"Daedalus," Nico explained "He was the only person who could navigate this maze perfectly"

"Let me guess," Leo interrupted "cause he created it"

"Right." Nico continued "The workshop was supposedly the center of the maze, and if you find the center, you can pretty much navigate through the labyrinth"

"Supposedly?" Jason asked

"A few years ago, when Percy, Annabeth, Rachel and I found the place, Daedalus explained to us that the labyrinth had started to have a mind of its own. It shifted and changed by itself, without Daedalus' control. The workshop then was just a room found in the maze"

"Okay sooo why are we heading that way?" Leo asked

"Ariadne's string" Thalia answered "It's how we navigate the maze and the mist. After Luke had used it, it disappeared. I'm more than sure it went back to the workshop"

"How do we even know that it works?" Piper asked "You said this whole place changed"

"Ariadne's string navigates through the maze by seeing through the mist." Will explained "It shouldn't matter how the maze is now, what matters is that it's still powered by the mist and since Pasiphae used her powers to raise it, the maze has more mist than ever before"

"You make it sound so great" Leo said sarcastically

Jason and the gang continued following the path. He started to wonder how long it has really been since they have been down the maze. He also wondered if they're ever going to get out.

The pathway didn't change. He remembers Annabeth mentioning that there was a new pathway in every step, but it seemed like they have been walking in one straight line for hours. The walls also didn't change like Nico predicted. They still felt like stone.

"Ugh" Will said in disgust, as he lifted his hand from the wall "Is that... gum?"

"What's a piece of gum doing here?" Piper asked

"Wait," Leo said "What gum flavor is it?"

"Is that really the most important question?" Will asked

"Just answer"

"Uhh" Will smelled the piece of gum "Smells like watermelon"

"Guys, I was chewing watermelon gum, and I spit it HOURS ago"

"Great," Thalia complained "We've been walking in a circle"

"I'm guessing the 'stick to the left side' plan is useless," Jason told Nico "Now what?"

"Gods, I wish Hazel was here" Nico scratched his head

"Or Rachel" Will mentioned

Jason shuffled around. The path ahead of them, as well as behind them was pitch black. He shined his flashlight forward, which didn't really help much. He felt around the walls, trying to find a switch or a secret button hidden somewhere. He found nothing.

Leo was fidgeting with a light bulb and some tools he was pulling out of his tool belt. Nico was trying to see through the darkness, in search of some gate or door that he had missed. Thalia was feeling around the ground, maybe using her super Artemis tracking skills. Will was searching for an answer in a book, but by the looks of it, they didn't help.

Piper approached Jason "You really think we're stuck here?"

"No, I'm sure there's a way out. We just can't see it"

"Well, Leo is trying to build a bigger light source, maybe that'll help"

Jason didn't notice it, but he was shooting sparks all around that when Piper tried to touch his arm, it shocked her.

"Hey, Sparky, calm down" Piper said. Just as soon as she uttered those words, Jason's shoulders eased, and he felt more relaxed. Jason always forgot how powerful Piper's charmspeak can be.

"Wait a minute" Jason took a look around. "Leo, did you say you _spit out_ that piece of gum?"

"Uhh" His face lit up "Holy Hephaestus, I did!"

"That means" 'Jason shined his flashlight up. He raised his head to the ceiling and sure enough, on the top, there was the Greek letter Delta engraved in the stone.

"We've been walking around the room to reach the other side" Will noted "We can't stick to the left wall, because there is literally no wall in this room. The ceiling is the floor, and the floor is the ceiling."

"All we have to do is just follow the maze and it will lead us to the next entrance" Nico explained "I hate to admit this, but Zeus actually kept his word"

They kept walking in a straight line until the reached the gate. Surprisingly, there was no lock or monster guarding the door. As they entered, the walls became so wide, Jason couldn't see them anymore. It was dark still, but not pitch black like it was before. There was faint light, which Jason couldn't figure out where it was coming from that lit up the big room.

It almost looked like an artist's studio, with thirty-foot ceilings, stone floors, and workbenches along the windows. There was a spiral staircase led up to a second-story loft. There was weird machines lying here and there, which didn't make sense to Jason. On the wall was one set of bronze wings, that appeared broken.

The room would've been breathtakingly beautiful... if it wasn't for all the debris. Rubble filled the room, machine pieces were lying everywhere. It seemed as if this room was supposed to be filled with the hum of laptops and inventions, but instead, it was dead quiet.

"Oh my gods," Nico finally uttered "This workshop... it's still intact. I thought it was completely destroyed since last I've been here"

"Quick" Thalia said "Everyone search for the string"

Everyone started looking around the rubble and the mess. Jason wondered what kind of inventions Daedalus never revealed to the world, or the projects he never got around to finishing.

Leo was sitting admiring the sketches instead of actually searching for the string. Jason didn't say anything though. If he could understand any of what Daedalus wrote, he wouldn't think he'd be able to leave this room.

"I think I can fix some of these laptops" Leo admitted "It's gonna take some time though, but these stuff contain a lot of info we'd be able to use"

He started shoving two laptops in his backpack, while stuffing notebooks and scraps of paper in his tool belt.

Jason kept searching for the string. On top of a shelf, he found a wristwatch. He reached for it, and put it on. It had a white-and-silver clock face and a black leather strap. Unknowingly, he pressed the top, and the watch exploded into a silver shield. On the shield, he saw delicate carvings of figures. A girl slaying what looked like a very tall dodge ball player, another figure fighting two bulls, a cyclops riding a Hippocampi toward a cruise ship name _The Princess Andromeda_ , a civil war ship blasting its cannons at Charybdis, the Sea of Monsters entrance.

"Whoa" Jason exclaimed

"Nice" Leo noted "Man, this Daedalus dude had some tricks"

"I don't think this was Daedalus' " Jason admitted "This looks like Percy and Annabeth"

"I think I remember this," Nico said "He used it when he saved me from the Manticore years ago. It was gift from his brother, Tyson. He must have lost it in the labyrinth and it found its way to the workshop somehow"

"I guess I'll hold on to it for now" Jason said as he pressed the shield, shrinking it to a watch again. He put it on and went back to searching that shelf. He shuffled through a lot of different items, which all seemed like magic. He found a Celestial Bronze dagger that looked too familiar, an electrical spear, and many more.

At the back of the shelf, something shimmered in gold. Jason moved the items to the left and right so he could get a better view of what was shimmering. He stretched his arm and finally felt it. _No way._ Jason thought

He grabbed it, and tossed it. In midair, the gold changed form, expanding into a two foot double edged weapon. As it came back down, Jason gripped it.

"Okay, now how did my coin end up here?" Jason asked "It was destroyed"

"I found it" A woman's voice said from behind them.

Jason turned towards the voice. Behind the shelves where Jason found his coin was a woman. She wore elaborately laced sandals that looked almost like nets, her dress made from layers of mesh in forest-colored camouflage. Her braided auburn hair made a ponytail so long it wrapped around her neck like a scarf. Her fierce dark eyes reminded Jason of a lion watching its prey from the shadows.

Piper unsheathed her knife, Katoptris "Who are you?"

"I am Britomartis" the woman replied "goddess of nets"

"Nets?" Leo asked "Okay seriously... did the Greeks really need that many gods?"

"Well," the goddess corrected "Nets, weapons, hunting, etc."

Jason noticed that the goddess didn't seem offended by what Leo had said. Usually gods were super sensitive about... well everything but Britomartis sounded cool.

"So," Thalia said "You collect weapons?"

"Pretty much." Britomartis shuffled around the workshop "I collect weapons and either give them to the gods or heroes. Who do you think gave your camp Helen of Troy's knife, Katoptris, or Hercules' sword, Anaklusmos. Who do you think gave you your shield, Aegis? Me of course!"

"You made all those weapons?" Piper asked

"What?" the goddess replied "Nooo. I just collect them, or pieces of them. Repair them if necessary and give them to the next hero worthy of them."

Jason understood. The goddess Britomartis was in charge of redistributing weapons. Making sure that each item gets a story. He held out his coin and remembered how he used it to slay Krios on mount Othyrs so many years ago. Percy's shield must have also had a history. The dagger, that Jason now realized was Annabeth's, felt like it had its own aura of power.

"Here" Jason held out his coin and Percy's shield "These are yours"

"Oh you can take em if you want" Britomartis said, while picking at her nails with a hunting knife "I have plenty, and they're yours anyways"

"No." Jason said "These weapons... they deserve another story. I don't think they'll have much use with me or Percy. Someone else can benefit from them just as much as we did. Just do me a favor: don't let our weapons fall into bad hands"

"You got my word, son of Jupiter" The goddess smiled "Thalia Grace, ready to go?"

Jason looked back at his sister. He knew he wasn't super close to her, considering he didn't know she existed for his whole life and she was missing in action for the past year, but he wanted to be with her. He wanted to get to know her.

"Yes my lady" Thalia shouldered her backpack and walked towards the goddess

"What?" Jason asked "Where are you going?"

"I've got work with Lady Britomartis" Thalia replied "You guys can manage well without me, can't you?"

"But you just got here" Jason said, his voice almost breaking

"I know, Jason" Thalia said "But I promise, we'll see each other again. Soon"

Jason walked over to his sister and wrapped her in a hug. In that moment as they embraced with such intensity, it was like they had never been apart all those years. Thalia pressed her head against Jason's chest. He felt warm tears flowing down Thalia's cheeks. Neither wanted to let go. She wiped away her tears with her hand and said to him, "You have no idea how much I was hurt when I thought you were gone. Knowing you were alive is the happiest I've ever felt since... since Luke died."

"I'm sorry Thalia" Jason said as he hugged his sister again. He knew how all about Thalia's life after he was gone, how she'd ran away from Beryl Grace, joined Luke and Annabeth to travel the world together. Thalia would never admit it, but she was once deeply in love with Luke. Seeing him support the titan lord then die was more painful than she let on, even if he died a hero. The real reason why she joined the hunter was because she's never going to be ready to be hurt like that all over again.

"Travel safe guys," Thalia said, wiping her tear "Send me an Iris message when you've made it to camp safely"

She joined the goddess, and they disappeared in a golden mist.

"So where to now?" Piper asked

"Uh guys?" Will cleared his throat "I think we're here"

Everyone gathered around Will. He stood near a huge window that covered nearly one side of the workshop. Jason couldn't believe he didn't notice it before, but now that he saw it, he can't unnotice it. The view was breathtaking. They looked like they were on top of some skyscraper. Beneath them were cars. _Lots_ of cars. Tons of people wandered about. Lights filled the streets. It was all like well oiled machine. When Jason looked up, he saw buildings of all shapes and sizes, creating the most beautiful skyline he has ever seen. One building, of course, stood out, and Jason recognized it immediately: The Empire State Building. Jason couldn't see it, but he knew the city of Olympus hovered above there.

Jason has spent his whole life in camp Jupiter. He went on a few quests, running into different cities here and there, but never New York. He felt jealous that Percy got to live here, getting to see this skyline everyday of his life. This city was truly amazing.

"Wow" Jason finally said

"Its breathtaking" Piper said

"It's not Olympus, but" Leo whistled

"Come on, search for the exit" Nico said "I love underground places but we should get out of the maze before the workshop moves again"

No one argued. Everyone searched for some sort of exit. It may have seemed easier for everyone to just jump out the huge window, but Jason doubted they could explain to mortals how he descended from a 70 story building.

They searched for what seemed like forever, and just when everyone was ready to give up, a streak of light shimmered into existence. When the light died down, a beautiful woman came into existence. She looked about 25, with perfect light brown hair braided to one side and purple flowers sticking out. She wore a white Greek style dress, as if she had traveled in time from ancient Greece.

"Hello heroes" the woman spoke in a sweet voice

Piper unsheathed her knife. Nico placed his hand on the hilt of his sword

"Wait," Jason told his friends. He knew he wasn't supposed to trust anyone in the labyrinth, but the woman wasn't evil. That much Jason knew

"Jason Grace," The woman said "You are as wise as they say"

"How do you know who we are?" Jason asked "Who are you?"

"You don't recognize me?" She asked "I thought we met at the Olympus party... I am Ariadne"

"The string lady?" Leo asked

"Yes, despite all that I've done in my life, I'm only remembered for my string. Speaking of..." She held out her hand and there was a golden string "This was supposed to be the gods' gift to you, but of course, I wasn't called into the throne room to give it to you"

"Whoa, wait" Leo said "Time out. How are you alive? And please don't tell me you escaped the doors of death"

"No, hero" she answered "I am the immortal wife of Dionysus, but lately I haven't been seeing enough of him to be able to call myself that"

"I thought you were Theseus' wife"

"I never married that old ungrateful–" she stopped herself "After I saved that _hero_ , we set sail to his home. On the way, we stopped at the island of Naxos and spent the night there. In the morning, I woke up alone. Dionysus found me and we fell in love. We married in Olympus and I have been his immortal wife ever since. Theseus died of course. He got what he deserved."

"Why are you helping us?" Nico asked "I thought you hated heroes"

"Not all heroes are like Theseus. Dionysus has told me about you all in his Iris messages. Your camps sounds like a noble places. If I had sired any demigod children, there would be no doubt I would place them in your camps."

"Thank you, your highness" Jason reached for the string and took it. It didn't look like much, just a regular old golden colored string

"Use the string to navigate through my father's labyrinth. Don't go in here without it again. This time, you got lucky and the workshop was anchored in New York but I doubt your luck would hold next time. There is an exit that way, through the Labyrinth, that should lead you straight into camp half blood, but before you go-"

Jason expected the _but_. Gods never did anything for the goodness of their heart, they always wanted something in exchange.

"I heard you are the Pontifex Maximus" She eyed Jason "So, I want a temple"

"A temple?"

"Yes. Just your regular old temple. No one even knows that I'm a goddess. Everyone assumes I died eons ago. I want to be known for being a goddess, not just for being the princess of Crete, or the first love of Thesues. I am a goddess, the wife of Dionysus"

"Sure," Jason said "But what are you exactly the goddess of?"

"Hmm," Ariade looked like she was thinking. She must have not have thought about this question "I'm the goddess of the labyrinth. I'll claim this place. After all, it was my father's, Daedalus and I were always good friends and I was the very first person who navigated it. It's appropriate that I make it mine"

"Alright, I'll make sure there's temples to you at our camps" Jason said "We'll make sacrifices whenever we needed to use your labyrinth"

"Thank you, Jason Grace" Ariade said, and with a shimmer of gold, she disappeared.


	17. The New House

**[A/N: Major Percabeth Alert!]**

When the darkness finally cleared, Annabeth and Jason immediately ran to Nico. Despite all his years of shadow traveling, it still drained him up quickly.

Nico wore black pants and a Camp Half Blood shirt that said "Staff" underneath the logo. His skin was olive. She remembered once, a long time ago, when his skin was whiter than a sheet of paper, but after all these years in the sun and away from the underworld, his skin was that of a regular Italian's. His shaggy black hair was still the same mess it has always been, but now it's streaked with grey. The grey streaks seemed like a common theme across all Annabeth's friends. She remembered a long time ago, when she was about thirteen or fourteen, when the only person who shared her grey streak was... _never mind_ Annabeth though.

"I'm fine" Nico said as he stood up

Annabeth tried to get her bearings. She stood on grass, and felt a warmth encircle her, despite it being mid November. It was night time, several time zones away from California. She first assumed she was somewhere far south, like Brazil, but Nico should've collapsed if he traveled _that_ far. _No, we're still the U.S._ Annabeth thought. They looked as if they were near a hill, with nothing in sight. Like a reflex, she immediately realized where they were.

"Half Blood Hill" She uttered "Nico, did anything happen to-"

"You have to take a look yourself" he replied

They ran uphill, and sure enough, Camp Half Blood appeared down the hill. As usual, Thalia's Pine Tree stood at the entrance, with Peleus the dragon at the bottom. The smell of strawberries from below the hill radiated, filling the air. If it had been several decades ago, you should have seen a small layout of twelve cabins, a blue house and a forest. Now, the layout looked almost triple that size. The original twelve cabins are now about thirty, making the shape of a huge omega. At the top of the omega was an enormous building, made up of columns. Inside, there was thirty rows of long tables. The Dining Pavilion.

That was the view of the east side of the camp. On the east were walls. Walls that were shaped almost like a circle. Roads were etched within these walls in all directions, connecting thousands of small buildings. On a big hill in the center within the walls stood a statue: The Athena Parthenos. Even from this far, it glowed and radiated power. Near the statue was The Parthenon. Not the actual Parthenon, but like a modern replica of it. Temples could be seen everywhere within the city. The lights illuminated the whole valley, but something was wrong : it was silent.

There should have been people, but the valley was quiet. No sounds came from anywhere.

"Where's everyone?" Jason asked

"At the Big House" Nico replied

Annabeth's heart skipped a beat. Honestly, it shouldn't have even skipped a beat. It should have stopped completely when Nico uttered these words. This only meant one thing: Percy was in trouble.

Annabeth and Percy walked with a Lare. He called himself Augustus, but Annabeth had a hard time believing that he was. Annabeth was a little rusty on Roman history, but if by the looks of his clothes and hair, he should have been Augustus' cup bearer. He held a clipboard. He thought he was responsible for personally getting to know every single occupant of New Rome.

"Our traditions," Fake Augustus said "say that New Rome occupants must have served ten years in the legion, but luckily for you, the senate approved your stay in the city"

"Doesn't hurt that the praetors are our best friends" Percy said

"Your assigned house is down Via Latina, one of our most famous roads. It is of walking distance to the university, the neighbors are one of our most important veterans, and it's close to our wine store"

"Thank you, uhh" Annabeth said "Augustus"

The Lare left, and Annabeth looked at Percy. A smile formed on Percy's face, and she could feel one growing on her face as well. They didn't say anything, they just smiled at each other for a few minutes. There were honestly no words for what they were feeling. Their lives had begun today.

They walked down the Via Latina, holding hands. Finally they reached residence number 36. It was a one story rectangular house, completely made of marble. It had a red roof top. The front entrance had a white column on either side.

Out of nowhere, Percy turned to Annabeth and carried her in his arms

"What are you doing seaweed brain?" Annabeth asked, as she slung her arms around his neck to keep them balanced, though she doubted Percy could drop her.

"I'm supposed to carry you over the threshold, aren't I?" Percy smiled

"That's a tradition for _after_ we get married" Annabeth said

"Since when have we _ever_ been traditional?" Percy asked, as he started walking towards the house.

He opened the door, which led to an open central hall, a roman style Atrium. It had a stone ground, and no ceiling. Annabeth would've been worried about rain, but this was California. Rain is like a foreign concept here. In the atrium stood a small fountain, that filled the Atrium with the faint smell of the ocean.

Around the Atrium were several of them was a bathroom, which Annabeth was grateful for. She though that New Rome took the adaptation of the roman houses down to every little detail, which should have meant no indoor plumbing, but luckily there was modern style bathroom in the house.

At the back was a small garden, which was decorated with all kinds of flowers. There were even golden and silver flowers. Next to the garden was the kitchen, which also looked modern. Another small room stood near the kitchen, which looked like a study. It had rows and rows of books stacked neatly on shelves

There were three bedrooms total. Two of them were fairly smaller than the center one, which Annabeth assumed was the master bedroom. Percy, still carrying her, entered the big bedroom. The walls are white, and the furnishings are pale blue. The enormous bed is modern, made of rough, gray wood like driftwood, four posts but no canopy. On the wall above it is a stunning painting of the sea.

Percy set Annabeth down on the bed, and with one swift move, he grabbed Annabeth by the back of her head and kissed her with intense pressure. His lips moistened and his messy hair tickling her face.

"Percy," She said as she pulled away from him "You got to say what you wanted to say at the proposal, and now its my turn"

"Is anything wrong?" Percy asked "Does this have anything to do with Athena's gift? You never told me what that was about

"Just listen" Annabeth got up and paced around the room "Percy, all our lives we thought we wouldn't even make it past twenty. Being half bloods and all, but we were wrong obviously. New Rome is like a sanctuary for Roman demigods, so why not build one for Greek demigods?"

"What are you saying?" he sat up

"I'm saying a New Athens. Protected by the magic of Thalia's tree and Camp Half Blood's demigods. I could design it. The Hephaestus campers would build it. Even other campers would volunteer to help."

"Annabeth, that's- that's insane."

"It'll take years to completely finish, and I would have to travel back and forth between here and Long Island a lot, but we can have houses built by the time you and I graduate. We can get married-"

"At Half Blood Hill, at the Big House" Percy interrupter her "The place where we first met"

"And move in to our house in New Athens" Annabeth could feel her eyes get watery "And maybe start our family."

"Have four kids" Percy continued

"Two kids" Annabeth corrected "Then send them kids off to camp"

"Then we'll grow old together, on a rocking chair by a fireplace"

Percy stood, grabbed Annabeth by the waist and lifted her off the ground. Annabeth tried to kiss him, but her big smile wouldn't allow it. Percy spun them a few times and finally they collapsed together on the bed, laughing. Both of them way too excited for their future.


	18. The New Camper

**[A/N: New narrator! I got tired of Annabeth and Jason lol. Anyways, hope yall are still enjoying my story and keeping up. I know I'm probably like the slowest writer ever but I promise it's worth it]**

Nico should have fended off the invaders himself. He had an army of demigod campers backing him up. Heck, her own kids were among those campers. He did not need Annabeth.

"Is it still at the Big House?" Jason asked

"Yeah, it's still safe." Nico answered "Hazel and Frank are guarding the vault. We got defenses on every camp entrance"

"The Labyrinth?" Jason asked

"Guarded as well. We're prepared for the attack, trust me"

Nico wasn't exactly a strategist, but he got used to all the attacks at camp over the last couple of years. After Chiron retired to New Athens, several campers, including him, Will, Travis, Katie and Butch, took over the administration of Camp Half Blood. They all thought of Nico as the leader, seeing as he is a child of Hades. Nico hated it. He was never leader material, but the circumstances forced him to be one.

After the curse, Hazel and Frank came back to live at the Big House full time. Grover remained at camp as well. Leo and Calypso helped with every attack. The Hunters, with their leader Thalia, popped up to help several times. Many retired campers from all over the world also came back: Clarisse, Chris Rodriguez, Nyssa, Jake Mason, Clovis and others: Everyone who felt they owed Percy.

With all those people, he didn't need Annabeth. She remained at New Rome, just the way Nico wanted her to. She had too much on her mind to be fighting. If she tried to fight a monster, Nico was sure she would be overcome, and he did not want that. But, Rachel had mentioned bad omens coming. Nico read the prophecy over and over again. If what he thought was true, Percy wasn't the only one in trouble. Annabeth was too.

"Who's the attacker this time?" Annabeth asked "Dracaena? Empousi?"

"Worse," Nico replied "Much, much worse"

 _Ugh_. Nico thought.

As he climbed out of the Labyrinth, the sunlight almost blinded him. The smell of grass and flowers was intoxicating. For a minute, he wanted to slip back underground, but he saw a hand helping him up.

Up there stood Will Solace. He wore his orange camp shirt over his tan athletic body. His face looked like it was glowing, as if if being in the sun again had revitalized him. His bow slung and quiver slung on his back. His eyes were the exact same color as the sky behind him: clear blue.

Freckles filled his face. Nico actually thought it made Will a lot less intimidating. Nico thought that without these freckles, Will would have totally been outside of Nico's league. They made him normal and more approachable, unlike a certain crush he had a few years ago.

Nico grabbed Will's hand and pulled himself out of the pit. Although a part of him wanted to slip back into the darkness again, a bigger part of him wanted to stay.

All of them started walking back through the forest back to camp. The camp looked normal, campers were sword fighting, pegasus riding, and lava wall climbing... if you can call that normal. Piper asked around and found out it was August 3rd. The journey from California to New York had took 24 hours. Though, Nico speculated it would take a lot less with Ariadne's string.

The next few days were pretty routine, up until Sunday: the last day of summer. Everyone was hurrying along, packing and trying to leave before noon. Nico made plans to stay at camp, seeing as he had nowhere else to go. Will was going to do the same. He said that high school wasn't exactly a priority for him. His dream was going to medical school, so his plans were to attend The University of New Rome and then attend medical school afterwards.

Jason made plans to live with Piper and her dad in Los Angeles. They would be able to attend school and it would mean Jason was close enough to Camp Jupiter to tend to his Pontifex Maximus duties.

Leo and Calypso decided to stay as well. Leo was determined to help her regain her magic. He was also going to be needed by Annabeth. She mentioned that she had a big project up ahead and she would need as much Hephaestus campers as she could get.

Grover stayed for a few days but he was back to travelling the world, in search for wild places. Juniper, of course, remained at camp but he promised to visit as much as possible.

Rachel got enrolled in The Pratt Institute at New York, which meant she will be gone all semester, but still close by. Her Oracle powers were still gone, so Chiron thought it was best that she leaves for the year.

Nico was at the camp's hearth when he saw Jason and Piper. They were holding hands, each wore blue jeans and their orange camp shirts.

"You gonna be okay without us?" Jason asked

"It's gonna be the most peaceful year of my life, and I've lived seventy years"

They laughed, exchanged hugs and promised to keep in touch.

Later that evening, the year-rounders were having dinner at the mess hall. There was about fifty kids total. Nico was sitting at the Apollo table with Will. Normally this wasn't allowed, but since Percy and Jason were gone, he would have to sit alone at the Big Three table. Will volunteered to fake a doctor's note that allowed him to sit at Apollo's. When Chiron asked about it, he just shrugged and ignored them, figuring that it wasn't worth the argument.

Will and Nico were discussing plans about helping the satyrs with their recruits. Lately, they had a hard time keeping up with so many demigods being claimed. Will and Nico volunteered to help out.

"There's a son of Hebe down in Tennessee" Will mentioned

"Alright," Nico replied "We can take Mrs. O'Leary first thing in the morning"

Suddenly, there was a _boom_.

It seemed distant, coming from outside the borders, but the explosion echoed through the dining pavilion making everyone silent for a few seconds. A few seconds later, as if on cue, everyone stood, grabbing weapons and armors, heading towards the pine tree.

Will and Nico started running together. Nico unsheathed his Stygian iron sword while Will grabbed the nearest bow and quiver, and they both headed for the borders.

When they got there, Nico expected a fight but was surprised to see all the campers lowering their weapons. He exchanged a look with Will and together they moved through the crowds towards the front.

Before them stood a guy. He looked about sixteen, with an average build, brown colored curly hair and blue eyes. His face was like a normal teenager's: filled with pimples. He limped in a weird way, as if barely learning how to walk. He wore a yellow shirt, a jacket and blue jeans, but for some reason, Nico couldn't shake the feeling that the guy was extremely powerful, even more powerful than Percy Jackson or Jason Grace. Behind the guy was a tree, completely burned. It looked like it was struck by lightning.

Another thing that bothered Nico about this guy was his aura. He had a ton of auras coming off of him but Nico noticed one that he knew like the back of his hand: Death.

The guy took a few weak steps and then collapsed head first into the ground. Nico and Will immediately rushed to his aid.

"What's your name?" Nico asked

"You imbecile" the guy said weakly "You do not recognize _me_?"

The guy was so sure of himself, even on the verge of passing out. He acted like he was a celebrity that should be known and respected. Unfortunately, Nico didn't recognize him.

"Who are you?" Nico asked

"Apollo" and just as he muttered his name, his eyes rolled back and he passed out.

Afterwards, Nico and Will took him inside. They placed him in the living room of the big house, a place often used as an infirmary. Will tended to his father. It was hard to believe that sixteen year old Will's dad was sixteen year old Apollo. Also, there was _no_ resemblance at all between them. Maybe the blue eyes, but that was about it.

"He's exhausted." Will said "It looks like he's been through a lot, and his body couldn't take it anymore"

"This doesn't make sense." Nico said "When we saw him change into a mortal up in Olympus, he was different"

"I guess Zeus didn't want it easy for Apollo. He wants him to suffer."

Nico understood. He remembered when he met Apollo the first time, almost four years ago. Apollo was cocky and full of himself. If Nico were Zeus, he would make sure that he would strike down every speck of pride Apollo had.

Will fed the god some ambrosia, then started muttering a healing hymn which made Apollo shift in his bed. As Will continued, the color came back to Apollo's face slowly, until finally his eyes fluttered open.

"Apollo," Will said "Are you okay? What happened?"

Apollo tried to get up, but he looked weak. If Nico didn't know any better, he would have assumed Apollo was just a regular mortal.

"I was cast down," he finally got the strength to say "Zeus tricked me. He told me I had a few more days to gather my things, make sure my duties were taken care of while I was gone. I was making a call to Asclepius when I got hit with the master bolt."

Apollo shifted in his seat uneasily. He struggled to say every word, like he couldn't believe any of it.

"He never even gave me a deadline, and then suddenly boom, I'm at Camp Half Blood"

"Did he say anything?" Nico asked "Some sort of advice or quest?"

"Advice" Apollo scuffed "Like my dear dad is capable of that. He simply said slay Python. As if that was so easy. Even as a god, I barely defeated the snake. Now I'm _this_ " He gestured to his body "I'm doomed."

"Apollo" Will placed his hand in his father's "Look, we'll train you. That's why Zeus sent you to camp. You need time to get stronger and then be ready to face Python. My siblings and I will help, and when the time comes, you'll be ready to complete your quest to kill him and return to Olympus."

Nico admired Will. Apollo never came through for him. Never cared for him. Yet, Will was ready to risk his life for his dad. Nico wondered if he could be capable of doing such thing to his own father if Hades ever needed him.

"It will take years" Apollo said hopelessly "Years of training"

"Did Zeus have a deadline?" Nico asked

"No." Apollo said which surprised Nico. Gods always had a time limit. Maybe Apollo got the special treatment since he was an ex god.

"Then we've got all the time in the world to train you" Nico said reassuringly "Python has no chance."


	19. The Fauns

**[A/N: New narrator part twooo! AND time jump part twooo! This time another one year jump and I'll most likely do a bigger time jump for the next chapter. I felt like college Annabeth and Percy are too good to be skipped over. I know I'm not exactly following The Trials of Apollo plot line, but I started my epilogue way before the TOA series was even announced and idk Apollo and Meg's adventures wouldn't exactly fit with my plot, so yeahhh. Forgive me for parting ways with Rick. PS: Guys, try to remember that Satyrs age differently than demigods, so please don't call me out.]**

As he glanced over towards the top of Half Blood Hill, Grover saw three figures running down the valley. He recognized two men: Jason Grace and Nico Di Angelo, but when he saw the third, his heart almost sank. It was Annabeth running down with a bronze sword drawn in her hand.

Grover looked behind him at the Big House and a wave of panic rolled over him. He knew that inside was the most valuable treasure that Camp Half Blood has ever possessed. It has been placed there for twelve years now and since then, waves of monsters attacked the camp almost every week.

The borders kept them out for the most part, but some monsters were a lot smarter than others. Dr Thorn, the manticore Percy had battled years ago in Maine, stole the fleece from Peleus. It left camp vulnerable for months before Charlie, Percy and Annabeth's daughter, Silena, Clarisse and Chris' daughter, and Chuck, Gleeson Hedge's son retrieved it on a quest.

"Where are Luke and Rob?" Annabeth said, while giving him a long hug "And-and Charlie? And Peter?"

"They're all fine" Grover replied "Rob is talking battle strategy with Athena campers inside and Charlie is at the lead of the Poseidon cabin. Luke and Peter are defense at the Labyrinth entrance."

"Grover" She asked anxiously "Is it true? Is he really coming to camp?"

"I think so" Grover replied "Millions of monsters. More than we have ever seen"

"But would he really be attacking just cause he wants-"

"Tartarus has unleashed all his monsters on camp." Nico interrupted her "He will stop at _nothing_ until he gets his revenge on the seven... _especially_ you and Percy"

Grover was tired. He had worked his furry behind so much these past few months. He came across so many wild life preserves and urged the mortal owners to expand their properties. Some listened, others were harder to convince. He fought alongside environmentalists in so many court cases, most of which he won. He was glad he was making a difference, however small it may be.

He traveled down to the Amazon river in Brazil. One of the truly wild places left in the world and it was absolutely beautiful. He had come across nature spirits so old, they could remember the Golden Age of the Titans. He gathered so much advice from the old spirits, and he was ready to go home and use that new knowledge to save the wild in America.

Although he loved the wild life, he really missed Juniper, and he couldn't wait to see Annabeth and Percy again. Half Blood Hill is his home and he couldn't wait to go back.

When he arrived at camp, Grover almost didn't recognize it. He didn't realize how much less he visited over the last couple of years. At least two hundred campers populated the valley now, which is four times as large as when he lived at camp. There were two new cabins under construction, and Grover couldn't wait to get to know the new campers living there.

But that wasn't what caught Grover by surprise. Apparently, Camp Half Blood expanded its property line. On the eastern side of the camp was more construction sites than he had ever seen in his life. He saw Hephaestus campers operating automatons that we constructing houses and other types of buildings. There was a wall, also under construction, around the perimeter of those buildings.

Grover just wanted to go down there and explore everything, but he knew that had to wait. Juniper is probably going crazy right now. She hadn't seen him in months. He Iris messaged her as much as he could, but his work took over most of his time and whenever he called, Juniper was a moody and kept saying she wanted him home, though she never told him why. That was also part of the reason he was coming back to camp. He was worried something is wrong with Juniper

A small part of him thought that Juniper was going to break up with him. He couldn't blame her... no one wants to be in a long distance relationship.

Grover walked in the forest and was caught off guard with Juniper's screams. They echoed all over the forest. Grover ran faster than he had ever run (Even faster than when he saw enchiladas) trying to reach the Juniper tree.

When he got there, Percy, Annabeth, Tyson, Ella and a blonde camper were crouched near Juniper. He didn't notice it at first but when he had arrived, Juniper's screaming had completely stopped. They all kept looking at Juniper, with smiles on their faces. When they finally noticed Grover, Tyson ran and buried him in a bear hug

"Congratulations, goat boy!" Tyson said, as he crushed Grover's windpipe and turned his vision almost black.

"Whaa-" He muttered. When Grover got back to his feet and was able to see again, he took a look at the camper crouched next to Juniper and almost collapsed.

"Easy" Annabeth reach for Grover's arms, and managed to pull him up. He was going to completely pass out, but he willed himself to stay strong.

"When- How-" He said shakily, and got closer to Juniper. She had her back against the Juniper tree and was breathing hard. Beads of green sweat were trickling down her face, yet, she still looked absolutely beautiful.

Despite her stunning beauty, Grover had his eyes on something else... someone else. Between Juniper's arms was a baby. It was covered in Juniper tree leaves and had the thinnest layer of brown hair that didn't really do a good job of covering his tiny horns.

"Is-s-s that-" Grover muttered

"He's a satyr." Juniper replied "Sorry I didn't tell you. I wanted to make him a surprise."

"Juniper," He finally got over his shock and a new wave of anxiety rolled over him "Oh gods, I was gone for your entire pregnancy. Why didn't you tell me?!"

"You had your nature duties" She replied "But that doesn't matter now."

She held out the baby, and Grover took him in his arms. The first thing he noticed was the eyes. They were green, the exact same color as the Juniper leaves he was wrapped in. He was so small, yet somehow his small hooves managed to kick the woven layer of leaves away.

Grover tried to keep it together and not cry but his eyes were getting watery and he could feel a lump form in his throat. He was overwhelmed. He was only gone away from home for a couple of months and now that he's back, he comes to... to this.

"What are you going to name him?" Annabeth asked

"I don't know"Grover admitted "Juniper, what do you think?"

"I was pregnant for nine months" Juniper said "I can't be responsible for picking a name too!"

Grover took a look at the little satyr one more time. He was strong, stronger than him, that much Grover could feel. He for sure didn't seem like the type that fainted the second he saw a Cyclops or went underground.

"Peter" Grover finally said "He looks strong, and Peter means rock."

"Peter" Ella the harpy said " _Peter Pan (1953)_. Yes. Pan. Pan the Greek god of the wild. Yes, yes. Peter is a good name. Ella likes Peter"

When Ella muttered the word Pan, a warm summer breeze washed over Grover and the baby. The smell of so many flowers and trees filled the air. When Peter felt the breeze, he laughed in Grover's arms.

"That sounds like the perfect name" Percy said, placing his hand over Grover's shoulder "Congrats, man"

"Can I hold him?" Annabeth asked

Grover handed Annabeth the baby, and Percy took him for a stroll. Grover explained to him how he's trying to make a difference in the world and Percy told him about his past year. He and Annabeth started college. Annabeth, obviously, majored in architecture. Percy had switched majors so much, his advisor was sick of him. He thinks he's settled in Marine Biology for now, but who knows.

Grover also found out that Annabeth had been busy building the city of New Athens near Camp Half Blood, after she received the funding from Athena.

"We barely started this year," Percy said "But Leo said he'll have the city up and running in less than three years."

"Are you guy going to move after college then?" Grover asked

"We were thinking about that actually." He replied "We grew up here, my mom and sister live close by, Annabeth's dad got a research opportunity at NYU. It wouldn't be the worst idea"

"Maybe I should think of moving in too" Grover said with a smile

"You won't be traveling anytime soon then?" Percy asked

"Juniper and Peter will need me," Grover said "and I've got duties here too. Camp needs as much Satyrs as it can get."

"Oh man," Percy said "I've got _so_ many satyrs"

"What?" Grover said in confusion

"Fauns actually, but New Rome is infested with them. They're out of work. All they do is roam around the streets begging for Denarii"

"Percy, that's great!" Grover said "I'll go and recruit them myself! When are you and Annabeth going back?"

"This afternoon," He answered "I got a zoology test tomorrow. I _hate_ summer classes"

That afternoon, Grover gathered some stuff in his backpack. He hated leaving Juniper and his newborn child alone but he knew that some duties came before even family. He kissed Juniper and said goodbye to Peter, promising them that he'll come back soon.

The entrance to the Labyrinth didn't change from four years ago. It was still located near Zeus' fist, not too far from the Juniper tree. Percy and Annabeth waited for Grover nearby. In some ways, it seemed like yesterday that he, Percy, Tyson and Annabeth ventured inside the maze. He was still the same goat that was afraid of the underground, dark places, his best friends were still Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase. But in so many other ways, it seems like forever ago. His best friends managed to save the world twice since then, his goal used to be to find Pan, and now he was a father.

He approached Percy and Annabeth who stood near a small building. It was an old Greek style temple, with columns of about eight feet tall. Inside was a fire that resembled the same one in the Dining Pavilion.

"We just made our sacrifice to Ariadne" Annabeth said "We should be good to go"

And with that, they all entered the labyrinth.

Grover was expecting darkness. Complete and utter darkness, just like the one he encountered the first time he entered the maze (There's a reason why he packed twelve flashlights), but he was surprised to see he didn't need one.

The maze was crowded with people and lights. The whole place was illuminated by lights on the walls. Purple ghosts, Lares, shuffled across the corridor. Demigods strolled around, walking and laughing. Crates were being transported by harpies. A Lar even offered to sell them hot dogs. If Grover didn't know better, he would've just assumed they were in a really cool cave.

"Whoa" He muttered

"I know right?" Percy agreed "Nothing like the Labyrinth we saw"

They approached a booth, with a Satyr sitting behind it. It seemed contradictory that a Satyr would work underground, but he didn't seem to mind that

"The path to Camp Jupiter from Half Blood Hill is the Labyrinth's most famous route" The satyr said "Will you guys be paying with Drachmas or Denarii?"

"Denarii" Annabeth said, as she handed him a few coins

"Enjoy your trip" He said "Don't forget to thank the goddess of the Labyrinth, Ariadne, for your safe travels. Next!"

"So we make a sacrifice _and_ buy tickets?" Grover asked as they walked away from the booth

"What? No." Annabeth answered "The tickets are for the train"

Before Grover could ask what the "train" was exactly, they encountered a big room. It looked like a very simple New York subway system. There was two road tracks, one arriving and one departing. Demigods, Lares, Satyrs and several other creatures walked in and out of the doors of the arriving train.

Grover, Percy and Annabeth got inside, and within thirty minutes, they reached their stop in California. On the ride, Grover noticed something about his two friends. Although they were laughing and talking, another part of them was depressed. He hadn't noticed it before, but the long time together made him more observant of it. It was like looking at the dark side of the moon. Even their eyes shared a dark glint, like shattered glass.

They got out of the train, and soon enough, they were back on ground level. Annabeth told him that the trip took a total of twelve hours in real time. Grover guessed the only thing demigods couldn't control was the Labyrinth's weird time frame.

"Cabin twenty is working on it" Annabeth explained "But the mist is pretty thick down there"

Percy and Annabeth led Grover around. They arrived at a place called Temple Hill, near Ariadne's temple again. It was about the same shape and size as the one near Zeus' fist. Temple Hill was like a litter of temples. There were hundreds of them, all of different shapes, colors and sizes. Some newer than others.

"Hey guys!" some voice said from nearby. Grover turned and saw it was Piper from the Seven

"Hey" Annabeth said as they hugged "Piper, this is Grover, Lord of the Wild. You here with Jason?"

"Hey!" She said to Grover "And yeah, he's with Frank and Reyna right now but I was hanging out with Hazel and Hannibal"

"You guys staying here long?" Percy asked

"Nah," She said "We're going back pretty soon. Hazel and Frank are too. We don't wanna miss Fourth of July fireworks. This is the first year Leo is in charge, it should be... something to watch"

"We wouldn't miss it" Annabeth replied "See you guys soon then!"

Percy, Annabeth and Grover walked together towards a bridge crossing a river. In the distance was a very long road, with nothing but sand surrounding it, which made the place look like a dessert. Maybe it was just how Californians live, but Grover felt like Camp Jupiter was way too plain. It definitely needed more trees here and there.

After a long walk, and a body search by the invisible hands of Terminus, they reached the city of New Rome. The view of the city was amazing. He immediately understood why Annabeth agreed to live there. The building were absolutely breathtaking

Though, when he looks around the people, his heart almost sank.

"This is terrible" Grover said

He saw satyrs shuffling around the streets, with tattered shirts and half eaten tin cups that had a few American pennies in them. Most of them carried signs that said "Four satyr babies and no Denarii" or "Will do anything for food".

Grover immediately knew what he was supposed to do. He stood on the nearest ledge, while Annabeth and Percy tried to get the satyrs' attention

"Satyrs!" Grover said in a loud voice "Or fauns... My name is Grover Underwood. I am the leader of the Council of Cloven Elders in Long Island. The council has been in charge of assigning jobs to satyrs around the world for hundreds of years. We act as searchers of demigods, but most of all we are protectors of the wild. I am here as an ambassador of the council and hereby recruit you to join us satyrs."

"What's in it for us?!" One faun said

"You'll have jobs" Annabeth replied "You don't have to just sit around and do nothing all day"

"And you'll get food and drachmas" Percy added

"You guys will be making a difference in the world" Grover said

"I'll do anything for food and drachmas" A faun with an afro said "Let's do it"

A cheer went up among the fauns, echoing through the streets of New Rome. Percy and Annabeth both hugged Grover, then a group of fauns hoisted Grover over their shoulders while cheering his name. He couldn't help but smile.


	20. The Sun God Returns

**[A/N: Sorry to the Thalia and Reyna shippers. I feel like I did a terrible job with Reyna's character. I'll improve!]**

Nico could hear growls in the distance. Part of him hoped that Reyna would come and save the day, but he doubted she would be much help. Tartarus was a primordial god. The only way for him to be defeated is the same way Gaea was: put him in an endless sleep.

Grover, Jason, Annabeth and Chiron stood together on the front porch. Young demigods in full battle armor shuffled around them. He hated seeing all the familiar faces rushing past him, thinking it might be the last time he will see them alive.

"If he wants us," Annabeth said "He can have us. We can be sacrificed for the camp. I can't ask you guys to protect me or Percy any more"

"What?" Jason said "No! Absolutely not."

"Jason, do the math" Annabeth explained "There's a million monsters, and six hundred of us. Even if we manage to defeat them-"

"Everyone of us is ready to take that risk if it means saving you two" Nico said

"A sacrifice is coming, but it cannot be you or Percy" Chiron said, his bow slung over his shoulder "That is clearly stated in the third great prophecy"

Nico was at Bunker Nine this morning. The place had become a headquarters for the Hephaestus campers over the past couple of years. The only thing they hated about the place was that there was a curfew at sundown.. because of several unfortunate monster incidents.

Although Nico loved camp, it wasn't the same these past few days. Last Tuesday, Will Solace embarked on a quest with his dad, Apollo, to kill Python. Nico hated being left behind, but he couldn't go on that quest. He tried to Iris message Will every once in a while to get an update but most of the time the message didn't go through. Today was Saturday, five days later, and still nothing.

As Nico entered the doors of the bunker, he was overwhelmed by the sounds of pounding. It rippled across his ears like a huge tuning fork. Sparks went up all over the place and fires made the place feel like he was standing in the heart of an active volcano. Demigods of all ages shuffled about the place, though they all had the same muscly shape, even the really young ones.

Leo glided down from a rope right in front of Nico.

"Ready man?" he asked, and Nico nodded

They walked out of the bunker. Nico didn't really notice it before, but Leo had started looking more mature lately. He wasn't as scrawny as he used to be. He looked well nourished, though, his eyes still looked as crazy as ever.

They reached the pegasi stables where they met up with Piper and Hazel. Piper wasn't taking any summer classes at the university, so she came back to Camp Half Blood. This past year, she enrolled with Jason in the University of New Rome. She majored in Indian American Studies and Jason double majored in Ancient Greek and Ancient Roman studies. Hazel, on the other hand, was visiting, though Nico knew that was code for _I'm just checking up on my brother to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid._

They all started walking south afterwards, until they reached Rachel's cave. The Oracle gave up her summer classes for some time at camp. She said she really loved Pratt, but she felt needed to be here.

"Any word from Apollo?" Piper asked

"None" She replied "I hate being in the dark. You guys made any successful Iris messages?"

"No," Nico said glumly

"I'm sure they're fine guys" Hazel said "Reyna is a praetor of Rome and one of the strongest demigods I've known"

"And it doesn't hurt to have a god on their side" Piper added

Suddenly, the cave got ten degrees colder. Nico reached for his sword, but before he could draw it, Rachel stumbled over. She looked as if she had a splitting headache. Leo and Hazel quickly supported her by holding her arms.

"She's as cold as ice" Hazel said "What's going on?"

Then Rachel blinked hard, but when she opened her eyes, they were green and when she spoke, her voice sounded tripled like three Rachels were talking at once

" _The cursed destroyer sails the angry seas  
The wife holds the treasure with unease  
The abyss marches to the demigods' home  
The void devours the son of Rome  
But only then can the curse be defeated  
And Poseidon's descendant is happily greeted_"

At the last word, Rachel's head rolled back and she collapsed completely in Hazel and Leo's arms. They set her down at a couch nearby.

"Was that a prophecy?" Leo asked

Before Nico could answer, he heard a familiar explosion coming from outside.

"Go" Piper said "I'll take care of Rachel"

Hazel, Leo and Nico all rushed out of the cave, climbing up the hill to where Thalia's Pine Tree was. Like before, demigods crowded the place, but this time there was no smell of burning trees.

A man of about eighteen or nineteen emerged from the forest. He had short-cropped sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, and a muscular build. He had a huge bright smile on his face, and he was dressed in jeans, loafers, and a sleeveless T-shirt that showed off his perfect bicep muscles. He had a golden aura surrounding him

"Apollo?" Nico said, his voice breaking "Where are they?"

Apollo didn't answer him for a second, which made Nico's eyes water. Then, from behind him sprang Will and Reyna. Both had some nasty cuts and bruises across their faces, but otherwise seemed fine.

Usually Nico suppressed his emotions pretty well, but this overwhelmed him. He surged forward while Will took a few steps in his direction. Nico threw his hands around Will's neck and buried him in a long kiss. In the back of Nico's head, he knew people were watching them but he didn't care. All that mattered was that Will was safe in his arms.

To Nico's surprise, people weren't watching _him_. When he and Will finally stopped kissing, Nico turned to greet Reyna, but instead, he found her in the arms of Apollo, kissing.

A cheer went up from the campers behind them, but Nico was confused as ever. He shot a look to Will but Will answered with a smile instead.

Reyna finally stopped kissing the god, as if she barely became aware of where she was. A smile formed on her face, and Apollo side hugged her like they were a celebrity couple on a red carpet

"I'm guessing you guys killed Python" Leo broke the silence

"And," Apollo said, with a _really_ bright smile on his face "Found my godly powers"

"And a new girlfriend" Drew Tanaka added sarcastically

"Oh," the god turned to Reyna as if forgetting that he just kissed her in front of a hundred demigods "Reyna is not my girlfriend"

A few snickers came from the Aphrodite girls

"This year was the year my life began." Apollo announced "All of eternity, it's been just been me, just a dumb, self centered god. When I fell here I wondered for so long if there's something wrong with me for caring for mortals, but this quest made me realize that caring is what makes for a better human... and for a better god. I never want to go back to being that cocky god again. Which is why I decided to take a piece of the human world with me to Olympus. Reyna Arellano, will you be my eternal wife?"

A silence fell over the crowd as Apollo went down on one knee and pulled a diamond ring out of thin air. Reyna was shocked. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the sun god kneeling, asking for her hand in marriage. She shot a glance to Nico, and for some reason, Nico was compelled to nod. A part of him knew this is what Reyna wants.

She looked back at the god kneeling at her feet.

"Yes" She said, and Apollo whisked her from her feet and kissed her again.

Nico walked and pulled her away from the crowd "Reyna, are you sure about this?"

"Nico," She replied "Aphrodite once told me I will not fall for a demigod. Apollo... he's not a demigod. He's a god"

"Exactly." Nico replied "He can hurt you"

"I know. He's had eons of recklessness, but this marriage will discipline him. There's a reason I fell for Percy and Jason: I'm attracted to power, and Apollo is very powerful. This quest... it proved to me that I was looking for love in all the wrong places. I wanted someone who shared my belief system. Apollo should be the last person I fall for, but the fates are funny. They made me head over heels for a person who is most unlike me"

"Reyna-"

"I want this, Nico." Reyna said "I want immortality and eternal love. To live on Mount Olympus. To be a goddess. I think I've had enough suffering and agony for one mortal life, and my presence up there could change things for the better. My love for Apollo might fix Olympus"

"Reyna, immortal wife of Apollo" Nico shrugged "It _does_ have a nice ring to it. Just promise me immortality isn't going to change you"

"I-" she was going to finish her sentence but her eyes darted to something behind Nico.

Nico turned around to see a blue chariot, with reigns that attached to four of the most beautiful Hippocampi he had ever seen. Atop the chariot was a man, maybe thirty years old, with stormy blue eyes, the color of the ocean after a storm. He had a thick beard and wore full Greek style armor.

"Uncle Poseidon!" Apollo darted over "Come to celebrate my return? I appreciate the gesture but I was expecting-"

"I didn't come for you" He bellowed "Where is my son, Percy Jackson?!"


	21. The Third Great Prophecy

"As much as I hate to admit it," Grover said "Chiron is right. This will end in a sacrifice of a son of Rome to 'the void' whatever that means"

When Frank emerged from the bottom of the Big House, he clearly realized that he'd interrupted a heated argument. Everyone stopped and stared at him

"Anything wrong with the vault, my boy?" Chiron, the centaur, asked him

"No" Frank blurted "Everything is fine"

He hated that he had to lie to his closest friends, but from the looks of their faces, they were already freaked out enough.

"Then?" Annabeth asked

"I think..." He muttered "I think we misunderstood the prophecy all along"

Frank was not prepared by the surprise godly visits today.

His day had started out pretty okay. He had to resolve a conflict between the second and fourth cohorts. For some reason, those two did not stand each other. Frank tried to make peace between the two for the longest time, and with Reyna gone on Apollo's quest, it became an even harder task.

The fight started in the morning, when the fourth cohort supposedly stole three Imperial gold _gladii_ and two _spathas_. They were on the verge of cutting each other's throats when Frank tried to intervene.

"They are disgraceful" screamed Marcus from the second cohort "First our Denarii, then our badges and now our weapons!"

"We didn't steal anything from you, Marcus" screamed Leila from the fourth

Before Frank could say anything to stop Marcus from slashing Leila's throat, a massive chariot pulled by four Hippocampi descended from above. Both the second and fourth dropped their weapons and bowed in honor to their guest.

"Lord Neptune" Frank finally addressed their visitor "We are, er, humbled by your visit to Camp Jupiter"

"Percy Jackson!" Neptune's voice rumbled through the entire Oakland Hills

 _Boy_ , Frank though, _what did Percy do now?_

After a few minutes, Percy and Annabeth came running. Frank was sure no one needed to go and get them. Neptune's cry was so loud, all Percy Jacksons in the California state would come running here

"Dad" Percy said, trying to catch his breath

Neptune tapped his trident on his chariot floor, and quickly materialized as a regular fisherman in front of Percy. His eyes, though, were still full of anger.

"Why didn't you tell me you fought Tartarus?" Neptune grabbed Percy by his shirt, threatening him

"I thought you knew" Percy answered

"Tell me," Neptune gripped Percy's shirt tighter "What did you do to anger the fates?!"

Normally, Frank would think this was a rhetorical question, but somehow, Neptune looked like he was expecting some sort of answer. Percy looked confused and very frightened by the sight of his father. He didn't know how to reply

"Dad," Percy finally answered "What are you talking about?"

"You cannot marry this girl!" Neptune pointed at Annabeth, letting go of Percy's shirt

"What?" Annabeth cried

"It's the only way to save you, my boy" Neptune said, immediately followed by a massive thunder that shook the entire valley

"Lord Poseidon," Annabeth said "What is going on?"

"Zeus is getting angry" Neptune said anxiously "I must go, but Percy, I will save you"

Neptune/Poseidon flicked his wrist and disappeared, leaving a group of very confused demigods.

"Uhh" Frank finally broke the silence "Any idea what that was about?"

Just before anyone could process things, There was a sudden burst of light and a huge blast of warmth that encircled Frank

"Don't look," Percy said "Not until he parks."

Frank averted his eyes. The light and warmth intensified to the point where Frank's armor burned his skin. Then suddenly the light died. Frank looked and before him was a red Maserati was parked in the middle of the Via Praetoria, with metal so hot, it glowed.

Then, from the mini van emerged a girl with curly red hair: Rachel Dare

"We need to talk" she said urgently

Frank led his friends to the senate house. It wasn't being used, so Frank thought that was the best spot to hold a last minute emergency meeting.

From the sun chariot sprang Apollo, Rachel, Leo and Piper. Hazel, Jason had also joined Percy, Frank and Annabeth inside. They all looked shaken up, but Frank was still super confused as to why.

"Um," Percy finally said "Can anyone _please_ explain to me what _that_ was all about?"

"My powers of prophecy are back" Rachel replied

"That's great!" Annabeth said

"No," Rachel said "It's not. I received the third great prophecy"

Rachel went on to explain how Apollo had managed to defeat Python, restoring the Oracle of Delphi's powers to Rachel. Apparently, the moment he'd done so, Rachel received a pretty intense prophecy. She repeated it to everyone.

" _The cursed destroyer sails the angry seas_ " Jason repeated the line "I don't understand. Is the destroyer a ship?"

"Yeah, I mean check out the second line" Leo said " _The wife holds the treasure with unease_. Treasure and sea. It sounds like a bad pirate movie

" _The abyss marches to the demigods' home_ " Annabeth said uneasily "Poseidon asked Percy about Tartarus. I would assume _The Abyss_ means him"

"And what's all that about the void eating a son of Rome?" Hazel asked "A Roman is gonna be sacrificed to Tartarus?"

" _But only then can the curse be defeated and Poseidon's descendant is happily greeted_ " Frank repeated the lines "I mean it sounds like it has a happy ending, right?"

"Poseidon's descendant," Piper said "That could mean Percy or Frank?"

All eyes darted at Apollo. He sat at the front, playing with a strange device that almost looked like Frank's grandmother's old gramophone.

"Don't look at me" Apollo quickly said "I barely got my godhood back, remember?"

"Yeah," Piper said "But aren't you the god of prophecies?"

"This is like asking an artist to explain his art" He explained "What's the point of the art then?"

"So, you don't know..." Hazel concluded

Frank thought about the lines. Poseidon's descendant could mean him, but where would he be greeted? Maybe he would lead the Twelfth legion to a successful fight and return with glory? That sounded like a plausible explanation, but could there be a Poseidon's descendant other than him or Percy? And why would Poseidon tell Percy not to get married? He knew from his ancient Greek lessons that Athena and Poseidon never got along cause of the whole Athens thing, but could that really be it?

"We can't dwell on prophecies" Jason said "You know how it goes. Some demigods go crazy because they want to understand them"

"Yeah and great prophecies could take years to come true" Rachel added, though not sounding very convinced

"Yeah... years" Percy said sarcastically

He stood alone at the back of the room. He didn't speak the whole time, nor make any noise. Frank couldn't blame him. His own dad had threatened him this morning. It could shake any guy up, but when your dad is a god, it's usually ten times more dangerous.

"Percy..." Annabeth said sympathetically

"I have to go" Percy said, opening the door to the senate meeting room

"Percy, don't do anything stupid" Annabeth said, sounding more serious now

Percy paused for a second, then left the room.

"Where is he going?" Piper asked

"I know Percy," Annabeth admitted "He's going to see his dad"


	22. The Deep Seas

Everyone stared at Frank. Annabeth was confused as to what he was talking about, but as usual, before he could get the chance to explain, everything went wrong

From behind her, the sound of monsters grew stronger. She turned and saw a girl of about college age - twenty maybe. She had frizzy curly caramel colored hair that was clearly not brushed well enough, and eyes that perfectly matched her hair color. She could be a serious knock out if she put the least bit of effort, but her look proved that beauty was not a concern of hers.

"Nico," she said in a beautiful voice "We're under attack from the west"

"Come on," Nico told them "They need reinforcements"

Annabeth grabbed the hilt of her sword

"Guard the vault" Annabeth told Frank "Tell me about the prophecy when I get back"

* * *

Annabeth ran out of the senate house. It felt like her mind was split in pieces. One piece was trying to analyze what the great prophecy means, and whether she or Percy were going to be a part of it. Another piece was thinking about Poseidon's warning to Percy. How can Percy not marry her? Two years ago, he was delighted about the engagement. What made him change his mind, and is it somehow connected to the prophecy?

She caught up to Percy and grabbed his arm.

"Percy, you can't" she muttered

"No!" Percy said "I'm tired of this. I'm tired of having to listen to the gods. I do everything for them, and all they want to do is make my life a living hell"

"So what?" She asked "You're just gonna stroll to your dad's palace and give him a piece of your mind"

"Yes" he said, though his face seemed as to realize how ridiculous that sounded

"You're starting to sound like Luke" Annabeth pointed out

Percy sighed. His sea green eyes couldn't meet hers. They were fixed, as if eyeing the horizon in the distance, his hair was being ruffled by the wind. The way he looked at that moment reminded Annabeth of when they used to lean on the deck of the Argo II together.

"I don't care" He said softly, then he pulled out Riptide from his pocket and ran .

Annabeth quickly tried to chase him, but when she saw that he was near the water, she faltered. There was no way she could chase Percy underwater.

That night, Annabeth slept alone. Percy was still gone from that afternoon at the senate house. She kept thinking about the prophecy Rachel told them about. She wanted with all her heart to believe that it wasn't about her or Percy, but she also knew that the fates are cruel... especially when it came down to her own fate.

She lied down in her bed, which seemed so empty and huge without Percy in it. She hated it and wished that this would be the last time she had to ever sleep alone. She was reminded of how she spent months without him three years ago when Hera took him. Going to sleep every night had been the hardest thing she ever had to do.

It took a lot of will power, but when she finally managed to sleep, nightmares chased her.

Her mind drifted to the sea. Below, she saw Poseidon's palace. Annabeth thought she was imagining because the whole city was probably bigger than the city on Mount Olympus. The architecture greatly resembled it, with wide courtyards, gardens, and columned pavilions. Gardens were sculpted with coral colonies and glowing sea plants. Buildings were made of abalone, white but gleaming with rainbow colors. Fish and octopi darted in and out of the windows into paths lined with glowing pearls. Mermen and mermaids swam in and out of buildings.

The scene slowly changed to a massive throne room. At the top was a chair made of gems, pearls and corals. Poseidon sat on it with his trident in his left hand. On the throne floor was woman. She had black hair pinned back in a net of pearls and silk, her eyes were dark as coffee beans. She was dressed in a simple white gown, and wore a circlet of polished red crab claws across her brow. She had a genuinely kind smile, which made Annabeth almost think she wasn't a goddess.

"Dear husband," She told Poseidon "You must calm down"

"They will suffer for what they are doing to my boy!" Poseidon slammed his trident on the floor, making the whole room shake "The Fates must be stopped for their callousness!"

"Poseidon, even gods cannot stop fate"

"Then they will be tortured!" Poseidon bellowed "Cursed for all the pain they have inflicted on the gods and their children"

"My dear," Amphitrite said in a gentle voice "Talk to the boy. Tell him he cannot get married"

"He will not listen to me, Amphitrite" Poseidon said, his voice almost breaking "Zeus forbade me from telling him the truth. The boy will not understand"

"Percy is a very strong boy." she said "If there is any hero that can do the impossible, it is him"

Then, the scene changed. Annabeth was in a hot red open area. She could hardly see what was in front of her, like the air wasn't really air. Underneath, the floor was mead of shards of glass. With a start, she realized she was in the maximum security prison of the world: Tartarus

Annabeth tried to keep her emotions in check. She wanted to never think of the pit again, not after what had happened. She kept reminding herself it was a dream, but the dream was so vivid. She felt like breaking down right in the middle of the glass floor.

Then she heard a voice. She couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. It was as if the voice was coming at her from all directions.

"Bring me the boy" The voice said

Before Annabeth could process what she saw, the scene changed one last time. Now, she was back in the sea. Though, obviously not the same part as before. It was a lot darker, which meant it was a lot deeper. She squinted, trying to see what was in front of her. In the distance was a snake.

Annabeth understood that snakes don't really live underwater, but this snake was maybe a hundred feet long. For a second, Annabeth thought it was a Chinese dragon, but it had sea green scales, the same exact color as Percy's eyes. She couldn't see it's face, but if Annabeth had been there herself, she was sure the snake would have devoured her in one gulp.

"As I said, Percy Jackson," A man's voice said

Annabeth turned around and saw around one of the coils of the snake monster was Percy. He looked dry, as if he wasn't thousands of feet underwater. He had Riptide drawn in his hand. In front of him was a man, about forty or fifty years old. His eyes were bright blue, like when the sun shines on the sea and creates those dazzling sparkles. His hair was light brown, and his beard was of the same color.

"I dimly see the future," The man continued "You will not survive without my help"

"What do you mean?" Percy asked

"I am Thaumas, god of the wonders of the seas." The man explained "You are a child of the sea, and the only way your father can save you is by a sea wonder. I am the only one who can grant him that wish"

Thaumas said wonder as if it was a bad word. Annabeth was sure it had a deeper connotation, but she couldn't figure out what. The man himself looked peaceful, but the snake monster that coiled around him wasn't making him trustworthy

"What kind of _wonder_ is he going to ask from _you_?" Percy narrowed his eyes

"That I do not know yet," the god stroked his beard "But I know that without me, you and everyone you love will die"

And with that the dream dissolved.


	23. The Event of the Millenia

**[Okay big time jump guys. Adult seven, here we gooo]**

Annabeth ran down the hills. She passed through the city of New Athens. Lights blazed across the paved empty streets. She glanced in a few windows and saw small children in hiding. Annabeth always thought this city would be a sanctuary, but now she chided herself for putting so many lives in danger.

She followed Nico and Jason through the city up until they reached the eastern wall. In front of her was a strong defense of demigods of all ages, ranging from nine to maybe fifty. Among the warriors were a few cyclopes and party ponies, courtesy of Tyson and Chiron.

It was a solid defense line, and for a minute, she thought they could make it but when Annabeth gazed up and faced their attacker, she knew they were doomed

"Di Immortales" Nico muttered

Beyond the camp's borders were rows of monsters. Ranks of dracaenae, gorgons and drakons. Among the crowds, Annabeth recognized dozens of her old enemies: Giants, Titans and more. All leading troops towards Half Blood Hill.

"The border is not going to hold all of them" Annabeth said "And there's no way we can take them"

"We have to try" Jason drew his gladius

They saw that the hoards of monsters were getting closer, slowly approaching the camp. A dracaena tried to enter, but the border stopped her from doing so. A few dozen other of her reptilian friends tried attacking together, which made the border flicker, accidentally allowing one of them in. A couple of demigods attacked her, and with a celestial bronze sword in the gut, she dissolved.

"Demigods!" Jason announced to the troops "Try to keep them as far away as possible. We have to keep the border intact"

Annabeth looked at Jason and Nico. Her stomach churned. Three times now that evil forces tried to invade her camp. She won't let anyone cause more pain in her heart. Even though she hadn't visited or asked about the Jason and Nico in months, she couldn't imagine losing any one of them... any of her friends for that matter. They were her family, and she was tired of losing family.

"Let's go save our home" Annabeth said

And together, they charged.

"And," said Jonathen "we deeply thank our esteemed Praetors, Frank Zhang and Hazel Levesque, for their ten years of service to the Twelfth Legion. They reigned with justice in an era of peace and love. Every Roman thanks you and wishes you the best in your years of retirement"

Annabeth glanced over at her two old friends standing in front of the Romans. Each held their praetor badge and eagle medal, ready to pass it on to the next praetors of Rome. Hazel approached a girl of about eleven. She had her blonde hair in a cute french braid, that made her lightning blue eyes stand out. She wore a purple cloak, symbol of the praetor, over her imperial gold armor. Despite her young age, she obviously seemed like a strong warrior. She had a posture that vaguely reminded Annabeth of Thalia, a posture that said _I'm stronger and better than you._

Beside them, Frank stood near the guy talking, Jonathan. He was an African American guy, with muscles so big, they looked like a couple of bazookas. He was about seventeen years old, clearly older than his co-praetor. His SPQR tattoo in his hand displayed eight lines and a caduceus, symbol of Mercury. He spoke with such seriousness, Annabeth wondered if he really was related to the Hermes kids at Camp Half Blood.

"Do you vow" Pontifex Jason announced "to lead the Roman Empire and keep the Roman customs and traditions alive in the twenty first century?"

"I do" Both said at the same time

"Romans" Jason said "I present to you the praetors of the twelfth legion fulminate. Ave Praetors Jonathan, son of Mercury, and Aria, daughter of Jupiter"

The crowd cheered and clapped in approval. Hazel and Frank were the last two of her friends to retire. A few years after Apollo's proposal, Reyna resigned as praetor, gave her position to Hazel and started spending her time between New Rome and Apollo's palace. Apollo constantly insisted on having the most spectacular wedding since Hera and Zeus, but Reyna still wanted to have her small private wedding. Annabeth still wondered how two very different people like them got along.

A few years ago, Annabeth opened her city of New Athens with the help of her master engineer, Leo Valdez. Afterwards, he and Calypso decided it was time to take Festus and travel the world. He wanted Calypso to see what she missed out on in the last three thousand years.

Jason continued with his duties as Pontifex Maximus of Rome. He took Piper on his trips across the world, in search of minor gods and making peace among them and Olympus. He took an initiative to build a total of seventeen new temples on Temple Hill and three new cabins in Camp Half Blood. Who knew there were demigod children of Hercules? Piper, on the other hand, wanted to explore the other half of her parentage. She wanted to understand more of the Native American culture, and used her trips with Jason to visit as many monuments and reservations as she could. On one of their travels, Jason proposed to her, and they plan on getting married pretty soon.

Grover stayed at camp after Peter was born. With the fauns helping with Camp Half Blood's recruits, it made his job a lot easier. He started assigning Fauns and Satyrs the position of Seeker, which meant they had to go in search of wild places and making connections among the nature spirits in hope of restoring the wild to its former glory. Most of the fauns and satyrs relocated in California due to the droughts. Grover, however, spent most of his time with his family in Long Island. He teaches Peter as much as he could about the god of the wild, Pan, and how someday the satyrs will restore the wild and make Pan proud.

Chiron finally got the chance to retire peacefully in New Athens. He figured it was perfect since the city was in very close quarters to Camp Half Blood. After his retirement, he assigned Nico Di Angelo and Will Solace the positions of camp directors, despite Mr. D's constant suggestions to bring someone with more experience from the Fields of Punishment. Chiron explained that Will Solace, who has lived at camp since he was a child, and Nico, who understood what it was like to be left out, were the perfect duo to teach demigods how to become heroes and make sure no child of the gods feels left out. It sure wasn't going to be an easy task, since after the Titan war, the big three went back to having kids again. Cabins one, three and thirteen were starting to be populated again.

Annabeth and Percy graduated from New Rome four years ago, and decided to move back to Long Island in New Athens. Annabeth was glad that she was so close to home. She became a mentor to some of her younger siblings in cabin six and she got a job in an architecture firm in the city. Percy spent half of his time coaching the swimming team at Goode High School and the other half helping sea creatures. He always said that ever since Gaea's death, the sea wasn't the same. It had a different aura, and he intended to help out however he could. Annabeth and Percy were still engaged with no date set. She still tried to plan a wedding, despite Poseidon coming to her and Percy in dreams forbidding them from ever getting married. To this day, she doesn't know why.

No one offered any explanation to the Great prophecy. Rachel, Ella and the new augur tried hard to interpret it but without any luck. They tried using the newly constructed Sibylline book but it was of no use. They decided that this Great prophecy was not going to happen in the near future, but no one actually believed that.

Today, the feast of Fortuna, was the first time in five years, since the opening of New Athens, that all of the seven were gathered in one place. They all sat at the praetor table in the mess hall, laughing and catching up

"So you guys going to college then?" Jason asked Hazel and Frank

"Praetors get a full scholarship, so we might as well" Hazel explained

"It's almost noon in New York" Leo noted "You guys ready to go?"

Everyone nodded, and together, they all snuck out of the mess hall. On the southern end of the Via Principalis, near the Fifth cohort, their rides waited for them. Three giant figures stood next to each other: Mrs. O' Leary, Festus, and Blackjack. The three of them looked peaceful. Somehow they managed to stay in one peace all morning, which surprised Annabeth. She half thought the three of them would start attacking each other.

Hazel whistled, and from the distance, her horse, Arion shot through the valley with speed of light, and in a millisecond, he was near his old friend Hazel, eating golden nuggets from her hands.

Jason thrust out his arm and concentrated. An electric storm started to form in the sky, and from it a ventus in the shape of a horse took shape. It looked dangerous, and Annabeth tried to understand how one could ride actual winds, but she pushed that though aside.

"This is like the weirdest zoo ever" Leo said

"And you're the biggest attraction" Frank said while he climbed Arion, who whinnied at his first contact with him.

"Yeah, I know" Percy told Blackjack "It's like he doesn't know anything _but_ cuss words"

He straddled Blackjack and offered his hand to Annabeth. Underneath the sunlight and over his Black pegasus, he seemed like a Greek god, and Annabeth should know... she'd met dozens. The scruff around his chin and cheekbones differentiated him from the teenage boy that she had saved the world with. His face was more structured, with a smile that was more radiant. The only part of him that didn't change was the SPQR tattoo on his forearm. When he extended his hand, it became visible. She'd always hated that tattoo. It acted a painful reminder of how her life would have been like if Percy didn't exist.

She took his hand and, together, they ascended into the sky. From below her, she saw Nico and Will stroke Mrs O' Leary's huge neck, and in a second, she disappeared, engulfed in a wave of shadows. Festus, the dragon, blew fire, creaked then flapped his wings following Blackjack, Tempest and Arion.

They rode with amazing speed, and in a few minutes, she could see the familiar skyline of the eternal city: Olympus, decorated with a glittering rainbow, as if the place needed more beauty. As always, the whole city were colors of gold and marble. Statues of gods littered the streets. Everyone who inhabited the city was in a festive mood: minor gods drank nectar while singing and dancing along the streets. Music seemed to erupt from the deep core of the city. The whole place was decorated with banners and flowers, making the city seem even more amazing than it usually does.

Annabeth and her friends descended by a statue of Aphrodite, and together they began to follow the minor gods' festivities. Annabeth wasn't exactly the dancing type, but Piper grabbed her, Calypso and Hazel. Together, the four of them danced their hearts out on the streets of the eternal city. Frankly, Annabeth didn't actually think any of them really were dancing, they just jumped and threw their arms around, but none of them cared. It felt good.

"Don't just stand there!" Piper told the boys walking behind them "You guys look stupid"

"Okay, Thalia Grace!" Percy chuckled

"What?" Piper said, with a confused face

He replied with a smile, as if his statement didn't need any further explanation, then he shared a look with the boys, shrugged and all of a sudden started dancing towards Annabeth. As he got closer, he placed his hands on her waist, and she placed her arms around his neck, still keeping up to the beat of the upbeat song by swaying side to side. For a second, everything seemed to move in slow motion, even the magical music seemed to slow down.

From beside her, she saw Piper holding both of Jason's hands and jumping/dancing together. Every so often they stopped so that Jason could fix his glasses. Frank lifted Hazel by her waist so that she could be level with his face. Leo twirled Calypso into his embrace. Even Will somehow managed to get Nico to dance with him.

After a while, everyone started to switch partners. Annabeth ended up with Frank, who was several feet taller than her and still clumsy as ever, but that didn't make him any less of an enthusiastic dancing partner. She loved Frank so much. She owed him so much, because there was no way she would've defeated Arachne in Rome without his help with the Chinese hand cuff idea.

Out of the corner of her eye, Annabeth saw Nico with Percy. Annabeth couldn't believe that all these years he had crushed on Percy, but now that she knew, everything he had done suddenly made sense. She never understood Nico's real motives. Now, looking at Nico smiling, there was nothing holding him back. He was completely comfortable in his skin. He even danced with Percy, as if there was no history between them.

Then, Annabeth started dancing with Will Solace. She and Will went way back. He arrived at camp shortly after she did. She had lost count of how many capture the flag games they had played side by side. He was, without a doubt, part of her huge family.

"I never got to thank you" Annabeth said, mid-dancing

"For what?" He asked

"For saving my life in the Battle of Manhattan" Annabeth said "I would've died"

"I was just doing my job" Will shrugged

Beside them was Piper with Leo. Together, they were the perfect dancing partners, moving perfectly in sync. Jason tried to convince Nico to be more upbeat. Nico tried to refuse, but then her rolled his eyes and finally did the jumping-and-throwing-hands-around-dance with him. Hazel danced with Frank again, both kept messing up which didn't really stop them from laughing their hearts out.

Farthest away from Annabeth were Percy and Calypso. He had one hand on her waist, and the other intertwined with hers. Together they swayed from side to side laughing and smiling. If it had been five years ago, Annabeth would've felt a huge twinge of jealousy at a sight like this, but now, seeing them together, she felt nothing. There was no chemistry. No heat between them. Nothing to be worried about. They were nothing more than friends.

When they arrived at the gates of Apollo's palace, all of them were drenched in sweat, sore, and extremely elated. At the gates, a man with huge white wings, a pen and a clipboard stood. He had a black headset in his ear and black sunglasses that covered his eyes. He didn't really give off the vibe of a body guard of any sort. If Annabeth had to guess, he was more like a wedding planner.

"Names?" He asked, not looking up from his clipboard

"Heroes of Olympus" Annabeth said, out of breath "Party of ten"

"Oh yes, the mortal friends!" He raised his head from his clipboard "Wh-What are you wearing?!"

All of them looked down at their clothes. They were dressed casually. It hit Annabeth that they weren't at all dressed for the occasion at all. None of them had been to a wedding before, _especially_ an Olympian one.

"We didn't-" Jason started to say

"No, no!" The man replied, flicking his hand. In a swish of winds, their clothes magically changed. All of them wore proper attire... at least for the twenty first century. Annabeth silently thanked Apollo for not making her wear a Greek dress. They were _super_ uncomfortable.

"Now you may enter" The man ushered them in

"Who was that?" Percy asked "He looked... important"

"That was my half brother, Hymenaeus" Piper said "God of weddings. Reyna told me Apollo hired him to plan the wedding."

"Pretty big gig" Leo said

When they entered the main gates, Annabeth had only one thought: There was mortal weddings and there's Olympian weddings.

In the center of the main hall was a fountain. A group of golden statues, about human-size, stood in the middle of a circular pool, all looking up adoringly at Apollo, with his bow and arrow drawn and pointed at the gate as if shooting whoever was entering. Glittering jets of water were flying from Apollo's pedestal, so that the tinkling hiss of falling water was added the clatter of footsteps as dozens of gods and immortals strode toward a set of golden doors at the far end of the hall.

The entrance to the ceremony revealed rows and rows of golden chairs set on either side of a long glittering white carpet about ten feet wide. The supporting poles were made of marble, about seven feet tall, and entwined with flowers that were literally made of gold. Hanging down from the ceiling were fifteen giant crystal chandeliers that Annabeth knew were from sixteenth century France. Enchanting music was being played by the nine muses at both sides of the room. At the far end of the aisle was an arch completely covered with the golden flowers. Underneath, stood Apollo with a golden tuxedo and a smile that somehow shone brighter than all the gold.

"Wow" Leo whistled appreciatively. The others were still too stunned to even comment about the scene in front of them.

They all sat down close to the front. Thankfully, the chairs were human sized, so the gods were forced to shrink down. Annabeth didn't have to worry about being blocked by a twenty foot tall god sitting in front of her. Next to them sat Hylla, with her hair tied up. She wore an elegant black jumpsuit that perfectly showed off her Amazon belt.

"If I didn't know any better" Jason said "I would've never thought this wedding was Reyna's"

"This is the watered down version" Hylla explained "Apollo wanted something even more glamorous"

The music smoothly changed to a different chorus, marking the start of the ceremony. She glanced back and saw a woman, about sixty years old. She had that celebrity look, like she could pass for forty or maybe even younger. She had brown hair and blue eyes, and wore a golden dress with a train about two yards long.

"That's Leto" Will pointed out "Mother of the groom"

Following Leto was Artemis, who didn't look happy about all the attention. Aphrodite, goddess of love, followed. She obviously had to be the spotlight of the wedding, any wedding for that matter. Finally Zeus and Hera, king and queen of Olympus, came in standing side by side waving at their beloved guests.

"Folks, we are witnessing here the wedding of the eon!" A man said standing in front of a camera labelled _Hephaestus TV_ "I am your host Hymenaeus, god of weddings, reporting every second of Apollo's magical day, planned by ME! Back to you Anteros"

Then the music changed to a the Bridal chorus. Everyone in the guest seats stood. Annabeth look at the back and almost lost his breath. Reyna stood at the end of the aisle. Her skin looked flawless and silky, her black eyes were huge, perfectly complimenting the whiteness of her gown. The narrow sheath of her white dress flared out subtly at the train almost like an inverted calla lily, cut so skillfully that her body looked elegant and graceful. Her black hair was in perfect roman style curls, carefully designed to hold a cathedral sized veil. It was at least eight yards, stretching out so far that Annabeth still couldn't see the end of it even after she started walking. The veil was embroided with lace so beautiful, it looked like it was sewn by the gods themselves... which it probably has.

When Reyna reached the aisle, three figures poofed into existence behind Apollo. They were three old ladies, with silver hair tied back in a white bandanna. Each wore grey cotton dresses and had arms so bony, they made Hades look healthy.

"Welcome mortals and immortals" The middle old lady said in a raspy voice "We are gathered here today, surrounded by the divine power of the gods to celebrate the eternal wedding of Apollo, god of the sun, and Reyna, praetor of Rome"

Percy slipped his hand into Annabeth's. She turned and restrained herself from kissing him. Being here, in this wedding, made Annabeth think about her own. She couldn't wait for her and Percy's turn... after, of course getting Poseidon to approve

"Apollo," the middle fate said "do you vow to use this love to lead the heavens, the underworld and everything in between into a better future?"

"I do" He said

"Reyna, do you vow to love Apollo till the end of times and use your new immortality to guide the gods and mortals into a better tomorrow?"

"I do" She said

"Then, by the power vested in us" The three fates said in unison "We now pronounce you eternal husband and wife."

The nine muses chanted louder, as Apollo leaned in and kissed Reyna, encircling her in his golden aura of power, to the point where Reyna was glowing with a golden aura as well: The aura of a goddess. Chants and cheers went up from the guests as they stood and clapped.

"And there you have it," Hymenaeus said into the Hephaestus TV camera "The union of Apollo and Reyna. Will their honeymoon last longer than Zeus and Hera's three hundred years? Tune in next millennium to find out. Until then, we're your hosts the Erotes!"

Annabeth couldn't stand it anymore. She leaned into Percy's embrace and kissed him. Today, Reyna had finally achieved the happy ending every demigod yearned for. Annabeth officially believed this made it possible that she would get her own happily ever after someday, the day she marries Percy Jackson.


	24. The Wedding Before the Wedding

**[A/N: Soo, the following few chapters are gonna be spaced two years apart each. This one is two years ahead of the last one and the next one is two years after this one, etc. If you guys want, I'll post a timeline or something. I know I'm confusing.]**

Jason immediately charged an Empousai. He's never actually fought one before, but Percy had once told him quite a lot about the creatures. They manipulated their prey using their good looks. Upon first gaze, Jason immediately wondered how they could attract anyone with a donkey leg. Before she could sweet talk him, he cut her in half at the waist with his Imperial gold gladius.

He looked around him to see his fellow demigods keeping their stand. No monster got close to the border. A bunch of Demeter and Dionysus kids sprang vines from the ground. Hypnos campers put monsters to sleep while Hermes kids took the advantage and swung their weapons, vaporizing the things. Even the Athena Parthenos in the distance seemed to radiate some sort of aura that gave Jason a surge of courage.

For a second, he thought it was possible to hold them off, until he heard a familiar voice

"Jason Grace!" The voice roared "I have waited for this day a _long_ time"

* * *

"Looking good" A female voice said from behind Jason

He turned around to see a familiar face at the door. Black glossy hair trickled down on a beautiful burgundy halter gown with a long skirt with middle slit and a satin sash. A smile formed on her face, which reminded Jason of his younger years at Camp Jupiter.

"Reyna!" Jason hugged her "Didn't think you were gonna make it with your honeymoon still going on"

"I had to take a break for you, obviously" She said

"How's the whole immortality thing working out for you?" Jason asked

"It's been... exhilarating" Reyna admitted "The moment I kissed Apollo at the altar, I felt this huge surge of energy. At the reception, the Fates pulled me aside and told me I was named a roman goddess of peace and truth"

"Suits you" Jason replied "But don't expect any shrines any time soon"

"You'd better build me a whole collection of temples!" Reyna laughed

Jason still had a hard time believing that the same Reyna he grew up with had become an immortal goddess. In a way, so many of his friends had changed completely from who they were. A part of Jason felt sad about all that change in his life. He still longed for the days he'd spent saving the world.

From behind Reyna, Percy, Frank and Leo came inside. Both of them wore the same navy blue suit, with a white shirt, white tie and a navy blue vest.

"Well, well, well," Leo said "If it isn't Reyna Ramirez Arellano, back from Olympus, come to see me again. Sorry, but my heart belongs to Calypso now, you're too late."

"You realize that I'm a goddess now," She said "And I can officially pulverize you in the blink of an eye"

"Hey," He held his arms up "Not on Jason's big day"

"How are you feeling bro?" Percy asked "Any jitters?"

Jason though about that. He'd been with Piper ever since Hera plucked him out of his home and put him in that school bus. He'd seen her grow from an insecure person who used to steal BMW's into a strong daughter of Aphrodite that saved the world. Ever since then, she'd supported and helped him with his work, whether it was studying for finals in college or building a shrine in Temple Hill.

He thought about the day he proposed to her. Jason was never really the praying type, but in the seconds it took Piper to answer his big question, he begged Aphrodite to let Piper say yes. Every inch of his body knew Piper was his true love, and that spending the rest of his life with her is his ultimate dream.

"Not even a little" Jason answered with a smile.

Hazel came into the room, clearly out of breath. She wore the same dress Reyna had on, but for some reason, on Hazel it looked less elegant and more... cute. Hazel tended to have that effect on things. Now, Hazel was as much of a warrior than anybody in the seven... maybe actually stronger than most, but when she's not fighting, Jason couldn't help but compare her to a teddy bear.

"We have a problem" She said "Piper- She-"

"Whoa, is beauty queen okay?" Leo asked

"She's fine," Hazel said "But Jason, you should probably go see her. She's in the bridal suite"

Jason's heart did a back flip. What could possibly happen to Piper that was so horrible? He hadn't seen her all day, which, not going to lie, was a little tough on Jason. He'd gotten so used to waking up to her besides him.

He didn't need to be told twice. Jason raced across the building. Piper's side of the family had to be invited, so as a result, they chose a mortal wedding venue. They tried to invite as little demigods as possible so that no monsters would be able to pick up their scent and ruin the day.

Although, for a few years now, monster attacks became less frequent. Demigods have had very little encounters, if at all, on their quests. Jason didn't want to jinx it, but it was like they were getting extinct. It wasn't really possible, since monsters are immortal, but their regeneration process is taking a lot longer than usual.

Jason opened the door to the bridal suite, and his jaw hung open. In front of the mirror, he saw Piper in her wedding dress. Her hair was down, lush and in perfect locks. A small braid traced its way down near her face. Her wedding dress was sleeveless, with the top top part glittering. The bottom was mermaid style dress. Jason knew that because of the many wedding magazines he was forced to read with Piper.

"Wow. You look-" Jason stuttered

"Terrible." Piper interrupted

"So beautiful." Jason said

Piper sat down on a chair, and immediately started crying. Jason got over his shock of seeing Piper in her dress and knelt down next to her.

"I don't think I can do this" She said "I knew when we were getting married that I wasn't going to have the wedding I always wanted, not with my dad getting to see Aphrodite again, or with the fact that there's a chance there would be a monster attack... or-or-"

"Hey." Jason took her hand "Who cares? It's a stupid wedding, right?"

"What?" Piper sniffled

"I don't care about today" Jason admitted "I care about what today symbolizes. Starting tomorrow, our lives are going to be awesome, Piper McLean, because I'll get to spend every minute of my day with you until I die"

"I love you, but everyone's driving me crazy." Piper admitted "My mom won't stop freaking out about my dad's new girlfriend. My siblings are fighting about who has the best outfit. This is supposed to be our wedding day. Why did we invite all these people?"

"You have a piece of paper?" Jason asked. He had a crazy idea and deep down, he hoped Piper wouldn't laugh at his face or make her start crying even more.

"For what?" Piper stopped, tears still flowed down her face

"l wanna be with you forever, and you wanna be with me forever. And in order to do that, we need to make vows. Do you have a paper and a pen?"

"I have a napkin" She offered him a napkin that she grabbed from on top of the dresser near her

"What do we want to promise each other?" Jason asked, clicking the pen

"That we'll continue loving each other" Piper said "Even in death or if we got separated"

"To love each other even when we are dead or apart" Jason repeated, writing down on the napkin in blue ink

"To _never_ end up like Hercules or other sons of Zeus" Jason vowed "What else?"

"To start over" Piper said, reminding Jason of the night they spent on top of Zeus' cabin when he kissed her for the second first time "As many times that we need to get this marriage right"

Jason continued writing on the napkin, then drew two lines at the bottom

"Sign." He handed Piper the pen

"This is our wedding?" Piper smiled, while signing her name "A napkin?"

"Yeah" Jason said as he signed the napkin below Piper's signature

"What about all those people in there?" Piper asked "Do we go in there and say 'sorry we're already married'"

"We'll do that one, too" Jason replied "And then when everything goes wrong, we won't care because we already had the real wedding in here"

"Now what?" Piper smiled, indicating she loved the idea

"Now l kiss the bride."

Jason leaned in, kissed her and the world fell away. His hand rested below her ear, his thumb caressed her cheek as their breaths mingled. Her lips were warm, and taste of cinnamon. When they broke apart, she rested her forehead against his.

"Now," Jason broke the silence "Are you ready to get married again?"


	25. The Auto Repair Shop

**[A/N: So i finally realized how I'm gonna end my story and yall are gonna hate me lmao]**

From above, Half Blood Hill almost seemed peaceful, which is one word Leo had never used to describe camp. After opening his shop in Houston, Leo decided he was forever done with the madness of the Greek gods and such, but if there's one thing Leo never does is turn his back when his best friends need him most.

As soon as he knew that a big fight was coming, he knew he had to use the bottle his dad gave him thirty four years ago on Olympus. There was a reason Hephaestus bothered to fix up The Argo II, and it wasn't so that it could decorate Leo's work bench. He hopped on Festus and made the trip back to Texas.

He just hoped he wasn't too late.

"It's too quite" Calypso muttered. She had her caramel colored hair tied in a ponytail, and wore jeans and a plain white shirt underneath an armor. It hit Leo that this was the first time he'd seen her in war attire. She had a few worry lines here and there on her face, and her hair had a few strands of white.

Just as she said those words, Leo heard a war cry coming from the far end of camp.

"Buford!" Leo yelled as he pulled his Wii remote from his tool belt. He couldn't help but feel a grin form oh his face. He was so ready to kick some monsters' booty "Prepare for battle"

Before he proceeded to fire the ballista , Calypso stopped him and kissed him

"What was that for?" Leo asked

"Be careful," Calypso said "This is gonna be a tough fight"

"I'm your Supersize McShizzle, baby" Leo smirked "No fight is too tough for me"

* * *

" _Leo and Calypso's Garage: Auto Repair and Mechanical Monsters_ " Piper read aloud

Set against the dull shop fronts around them, Leo's shop windows hit the eye like a firework display. Casual passers were looking back over their shoulders at the windows. The left hand window was dazzlingly full of an assortment of automatons that revolved, popped, flashed, bounced, and shrieked. The right hand window was covered with a gigantic poster that read _Grand Opening._

"That's right, beauty queen." Leo said "Come on in guys! Mi casa es su casa"

Everyone entered the shop. Inside, the place was split in half. On the right hand side, it was your regular old mechanic shop. Tools and gears littered the place. A laptop and a mechanical sphere sat on one of the work benches: Deadalus and Archimedes' works.

On the left side of the shop, chairs and tables were spread out neatly across the place. In the corner, a door led to the kitchen. On the far end was a small stage, that Leo had personally designed so that more people could enjoy Calypso's singing. She was reluctant about the idea at first, but Leo knows that Calypso has a musical gift.

"You guys like it?" Leo asked

"It looks great" Jason clapped Leo on his shoulder

Calypso invited everyone to sit in one large table. Percy and Jason had their usual fight on who to sit at the head, and Annabeth solved the problem by sitting there herself. Percy and Jason declared truce and sat on either side. Calypso waved her hand, and in a matter of seconds, there was stew and drinks in front of everyone.

They all talked and ate. Hazel used her magic to trick Percy into spilling his drink on his shirt and he used his Poseidon powers to dry himself. Frank and Annabeth were talking about some Roman history thing that Leo didn't care about. Calypso and Piper talked about tomorrow's plans and if she were nervous.

Mid dinner, Jason stood and clicked his fork on his glass.

"Guys," Jason said "As best man, I think it is my duty to start telling you all about all of the embarrassing things that has happened to Leo in all his years of his life up until I started this speech"

"Oh man" Leo grumbled

"I don't know if you guys know this" Jason continued "but, when I first met and Leo and told him I had amnesia, he was happy. Do you guys know why? He thought it gave him a chance to retell all his jokes to me again."

Everyone laughed.

"There was this one time aboard the Argo II, when I ran into him with his hair greased back, welding goggles on his forehead, tattoos all over his arms, and a T-shirt that read HOT STUFF, BAD BOY, and TEAM LEO... now if this was anyone else, I would've asked them about the weird costume, but knowing Leo, I just kept on walking."

Hazel laughed, and Leo vaguely remembered how he dressed the day he faced Narcissus and his nymphs.

"All I'm trying to say here is," Jason continued "Leo, there is never a dull moment around you, and Calypso has had lifetimes of dull moments. You guys make more than a perfect couple, and from what I see here in this shop, you two make an excellent team as well."

"Calypso," Jason raised his glass "I hope you're sure about this wedding, because as of tomorrow, you'll be married to Commander Tool Belt, Bad Boy Supreme, Chef Leo the Tofu Taco Expert,"

"SUPER SIZED MCSCHIZZLE" Everyone shouted in unison as they raised their glass and laughed.

Later that night, everyone was tucked into bed. Leo had bought out the place right above his mechanic shop. It was a three bedroom furnished apartment, nothing fancy.

There weren't enough beds for seven guests, so Percy and Frank crashed in the living room couches. Annabeth and Piper shared the full-sized bed in one of the bedrooms. Hazel forced Leo and Calypso to sleep apart that night, something about it being bad luck. No one argued, so she and Calypso crashed in the master bedroom, while Leo and Jason shared the third bedroom.

That night, Leo couldn't sleep. He rolled from side to side on the bed, while having to hear Frank Zhang snore like an elephant in the living room. His mind wandered to all sorts of places: the moment when he had killed Gaea, destroying himself in the process. He thought about camp and how it was a great home for him for years, and how scary it was to be away from the place he'd called his home for so long. He thought about tomorrow being the day he's waited for since he left Ogygia the first time.

But something kept gnawing at the back of his brain: The Great Prophecy. Ever since Rachel spouted the lines, Leo couldn't stop thinking about it. From the interpretations he heard, Tartarus is planning an attack and there was going to be a son of Rome that sacrifices himself to break some sort of curse. Leo was certainly not a Roman, but he's been having this uneasy feeling that told him there was going to be more sacrifices than that. Sacrifices of people close to him especially.

He turned in his bed one last time and faced Jason, who was awake this time. His lightning blue eyes seemed to flicker, as if there was an electrical current running through them.

"Why are you up?" Jason whispered

"Why are _you_?" Leo replied

"You kept rolling in you bed"

"Ah" Leo got up "Sorry, just too much in my head"

"The wedding?" Jason got up too, joining Leo on what looked like a lame slumber party

"Nah," Leo said "I'm looking forward to that. I was just thinking about the stuff I'm _not_ looking forward to"

"The Great Prophecy" Jason understood "It keeps me up at night too"

"I know it doesn't mention any devilishly handsome mechanics" Leo said "But, I don't know... I feel like I would play a part in it"

"I think we're all going to" Jason muttered "I just hope it happens sooner that later"

"Did you have a concussion again?" Leo arched an eyebrow, wondering if he heard Jason right.

"I just mean," Jason sighed "We're all getting married, we might be having some kids soon... me and Piper, we..."

Jason hesitated. Something was clearly bothering him, and it was hard for him to even think about it. Leo thought they might have marriage problems. There was no way being married to a daughter of Aphrodite was easy, but then again, Piper was like no other Aphrodite girl.

"Are you guys having problems?" Leo asked

"Gods, no. We're happy, but..." Jason sighed "We've been trying to have a baby..."

"Dude!" Leo punched Jason's shoulder "That's awesome!"

"For two years now" Jason added

"Oh" Leo's shoulders tensed. He immediately felt down for his best friends. He had this usual urge to take out the perfect tool from his tool belt and fix Jason up, but he didn't quite know what tool to use for this situation.

"Hey man," Leo said "These things take time. I'm sure you guys will be have a mini Jason or a tiny Piper running around in no time"

"I wondered if it was because of Cupid" Jason muttered "We have a bad relationship"

"The dude with the diaper?"

"He's the god of love and fertility." Jason explained "The last time I saw him, I sort of insulted him"

"Man," Leo tried to sound upbeat "Cupid- or any other god for that matter- they don't have anything to do with this. You and Piper are gonna have a kid. I know it"

"You sound sure" Jason's voice sounded small

"Who do you think is gonna marry my daughter?!" Leo explained "I'm _not_ letting her run off to just any guy"

Jason managed a smile "We should get some sleep. Big day tomorrow"

"Big day tomorrow" Leo repeated as he rested his head on the pillow. He meant what he had said to Jason, because he couldn't wait to be Uncle Leo. He dozed off to the thought of seeing Calypso in a wedding dress.


	26. The Deciet

"Come to lose again?" Jason asked his old enemy

In front of Jason was a being of about twenty feet tall. He wore a black Stygian iron armor, which would've been creepy if it wasn't for the constellation patterns that gleamed making it look like the armor was dipped in glitter. He wore a helmet shaped like a ram's head with horns on it and carried a massive Stygian iron sword in his right hand.

He marched in front of his troops of monsters, and faced Jason. For some reason, now that Jason faced him again, the guy didn't seem as big and scary as he remembered from when he was fifteen years old. It might have been the effect of seeing the giants. Nothing was enough to scare Jason after facing thirty foot tall humanoids with snakes for feet.

"Lose?" the Titan laughed "This time it will be your doom, son of Jupiter"

"I beat you once, I can do it again" Jason drew his gladius and summoned the winds, rising a few feet off the ground, then launching himself at the giant, determined to tear him apart.

Before Jason could clash swords with Krios, A wall of force slammed him. He sailed backward about three hundred yards in the air. Jason tried to control the winds, but the force Krios had sent disturbed the wind around him.

"Stop it!" Krios screamed, which didn't make any sense to Jason, since he was doing nothing. When the force wall seized and Jason got his bearings, he looked back at Krios, to see him getting blasted by balls of green fire.

"SURRENDER!" A voice cried from above, Jason looked up and almost cried from relief "YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY ONE SPANKING HOT WAR MACHINE!"

A wall of celestial bronze covered nearly half the sky. The hull of Jason's old home gleamed in the night sky, and from above, a crazy middle aged man with a Wii control remote stood shouting in the face of monsters as the ballistae and catapults shot more balls of Greek fire, disintegrating front of enemy lines.

"You're late!" Jason shouted at his old friend. He summoned the wind and hovered near the rails of the main deck. A rush of warm memories filled Jason: sailing into New Rome with the Greeks, kissing Piper McLean on the main deck, and making storms with Percy Jackson. At the thought of that, Jason didn't feel warm anymore, he drowned in seas of guilt all over again.

"I had to make an entrance!" Leo shouted over the sound of fighting, his grin as crazy as ever "I don't know how to kill Titans, you got this?"

"I can help" Calypso spoke from nearby "I know how to take out my uncle, quick and fast"

Jason looked down at Krios. Parts of his body still burned with Greek fire, but he raised his head towards Jason and roared in anger.

"I like fast" Jason grabbed Calypso, and summoned the winds, plummeting down towards Krios at full speed, determined to end the Titan once and for all.

* * *

Jason thought after the wedding, he was going to finally live a quiet, nice life with Piper. Little did he know, there was no such thing as a quiet life for a demigod.

If it wasn't for the ten foot tall pine tree in his living room, Jason would've never guessed it was Christmas Eve. When Annabeth built New Athens, she used Hecate campers to extend the magical border around Half Blood Hill to engulf the city as well, which meant it was a warm Christmas Eve in New York.

Piper had left about an hour ago to get some emergency very last minute present wrappings. Jason stayed behind in his study. He filled the desk with old Roman and Greek mythology books, and lately, all that interested Jason was primordial gods.

Jason knew that at the dawn of creation, Ouranos was chopped up and a few years ago, Leo put Gaea to eternal sleep, but he wondered what of the others. Would they rebel and cause trouble just as Gaea did? Or are they also in eternal sleep? Jason was baffled at the personifications of so many deities, but one god attracted him in particular: Chaos.

Chaos was the reason for all creation. Nothing existed before him, and Jason wanted to know more. There had to be something before Chaos existed. The story can't be "At first Chaos came to be". Where did he come from? How long was he alone? Why did he start creation?

Unfortunately, no book had answered any of his questions, because no one in history had ever talked to Chaos. He read about Hera's old punishment of being hung over Chaos. If she would've fallen, then poof. Gone. But other than that, there was barely any mention of him.

"I've got a surprise for you" Piper's voice came from the door. Jason was so buried in his book, he didn't even hear her come in. She wore grey sweats and an orange shirt that read _Greek and Roman Capture the Flag 2015._ Despite the casual clothes and the messy hair she managed to still look completely gorgeous.

"I thought we couldn't open our surprises till tomorrow morning" Jason raised his eyebrow

"This is a Christmas Eve surprise" Piper said "Come on"

Jason followed Piper into the master bedroom. For almost two years now, he and Piper had tried relentlessly to have a baby. He remembered clearly the day he told Piper he wanted to have a kid with her. The sparkle in her multicolored eyes shone, and her smile radiated warmth like Zephyrus' winds. Her reply etched in his mind: _Put a baby in me, Jason Grace_. Only now, Jason realized how hard that request really was. Piper never showed it, but she was freaking out about the whole thing too. He'd seen her a couple of times in the Acropolis at her mother's temple praying.

Earlier today though, Piper seemed in an extremely good mood. She kept boasting about how she had a huge surprise for him this year, but he can only open it Christmas morning. Now, as he was being dragged to their bedroom, he wondered if Piper was finally going to tell him what that surprise really was.

"So you're really going to tell me?" Jason asked again

Piper pulled him closer, ignoring the question, she exchanged a brief look with him. It only lasted seconds but Jason could swear it was as if she was up to something. Then, she buried him in a firm kiss, but he felt like Piper was trying to do something other than actually kiss.

"Are you okay?" Jason pulled away

"Of course" Piper smiled, though it seemed fake "Why wouldn't I be?"

He decided not to push it and continued kissing her. Then she started pushing him backwards, until he toppled down on the bed. Piper gripped his shirt and tried to yank it off

"Whoa" Jason gripped her hand "What's wrong?"

"What do you mean babe?" She drowned him in another firm kiss.

 _Babe?_ Jason thought. _Since when has Piper ever called me babe?_

Something was definitely wrong, though Jason couldn't put his finger on it. He continued kissing Piper until his shirt was off and she was on top of him. She continued to kiss him in that weird way, that Jason wondered how she was breathing with all this force.

"Jason?" A voice came from the door. Not just any voice... Piper's.

He stopped kissing and turned his head to the door. Sure enough, Piper was standing at the door.

"H-" Piper (the one at the door) stuttered "How could you?"

Jason's brain felt like it was being ripped into pieces. He didn't understand what was going on. Nothing made sense. How could there be two Pipers?

"Piper, I can explain" Jason pushed the Piper on top of him away "Actually I can't, I-"

"With her?!" Piper exclaimed with a sour face and a tear falling down her face

Jason turned around and understood what Piper was seeing. In the dim light of the room, the Piper on the bed flickered and changed form into Drew Tanaka, Piper's old rival from the Aphrodite cabin.

"I-I thought she was-" Jason stammered. He wanted to explain himself but he couldn't

"You vowed, Jason Grace" Piper cried "You vowed not to be Hercules"

"Piper, please" Jason's stomach did a back flip. He felt a huge lump in his throat. "I would never"

"Don't." Her eyes full of tears. Jason could see she was hesitating, but she turned around the hall and left.

Jason wanted to chase her, he wanted to plead for her forgiveness, to explain that it was all a trick. Though, he didn't. He stood there in the middle of his bedroom feeling hopeless, somehow believing that whatever he would do, Piper would never forgive him.

"That's right, son of Rome" Drew said from behind him, but not in her Drew's voice.

Jason turned and he saw another woman before him. She had hair as black as the night sky, and lips as red as ruby. Her dress was long and dark, and her skin was pale. She had a smirk that reminded Jason faintly of the Hermes kids when they were up to something.

"Who are you?" Jason said. He didn't have a sword, but he was ready for a fight

"I'm used to mortals not knowing my name" She said in a smokey voice "But you, Pontifex..." She made a tsk tsk sound.

Jason tried to rack his brain. He had two degrees in mythology, but for some reason nothing came to him. If she wasn't a woman, Jason would have guessed it was Hermes, god of trickery., but who was _she_?

"You claimed you'll honor the gods," She said in an angry tone "But where is _my_ shrine? And what of my siblings?"

"Who are your siblings?" Jason croaked

"Still don't know who I am?" The woman got calmer "Perhaps you should ask your friends, Percy and Annabeth. We met once. A clever pair those too!"

"You've met my friends?" Jason asked

"Not officially," She said "I was there when they turned my siblings against each other in front of my mother"

The gears in Jason's brain seemed like they were finally turning. The mansion of Night. Jason remembered that Percy and Annabeth had come face to face with Night and her children, but who was this woman? Old age? Strife?

"You're a daughter of Nyx" Jason stalled

"Right, but can you guess who?" The goddess smirked

"Apate" Jason remembered "Goddess of deception... what are you doing here?"

"Call it boredom" She sighed "Or call it revenge. You paid so much attention to the _helpful_ gods. That shrine to the god of bees, ugh! What about me? What about my mother's children? You forgot us, the powerful dark gods and now a ruined marriage is the price for your forgetfulness"

"No," Jason's lower lip quivered "I didn't- _you_ didn't ruin our marriage"

"Even you don't believe that, Pontifex" She chuckled "You really think the goddess of love is going to let her favorite daughter stay married to a cheater?"

"I didn't cheat on Piper!" Jason insisted, his knuckles turned white. He wanted so bad to strangle Apate

"I'm the goddess of deception and trickery" She said confidently "No one, not even Zeus himself, can uncover my deceit."

"Why _me_?"

"Have you heard the Final Prophecy, Jason?" She said "Or the third Great Prophecy as you mortals call it"

"Yes" Jason wondered what she had meant by final

"Well, I'm going to tell you a little secret" She smiled "You, son of Jupiter, will pray a big role in it"

"You're lying"Jason gritted his teeth, restraining himself from bashing Apate's head into the wall

"Oh, I wish I was." She paced around the room "You will suffer, Jason, more than your heart can endure, but that suffering is essential to jump starting the prophecy. Our master grows restless by the minute, but when you look down your Christmas tree..."

"What?" Jason finally snapped, he dove to the goddess and locked her on the wall with his arm on her throat "Tell me what you know"

"The day you meet him is the day that will start it all" She gave him her crooked smile one last time "Until next time, Pontifex"

And with that, she disappeared into a puff of black smoke. Jason immediately ran to the living room, and underneath the lights, a small rectangular box sat. It had candy cane wrapping and a red ribbon. Jason reached for it and tore it open.

"No" Jason whispered. It was as if Jason could hear the whole cosmic universe, with every god in existence, laughing at his face, because in his hands was Piper's gift: a positive pregnancy test.


	27. The Ghost King's Oath

[Okay, no more long time jumps, though this chapter is going to be all over the place. I'll try to be as clear as I can.]

Annabeth slashed her way through rows of dracenae. She never considered herself a sword person, but desperate times call for desperate measures. As much as she vaporized hoards of monsters, more and more came. Even if camp's forces can hold, everyone will soon be defeated because of exhaustion.

"Annabeth!" A voice shouted from behind her. She turned and saw Will Solace waving at her from inside the camp borders. She sheathed her sword and ran towards him, dodging blades and monsters that came in her way.

"What's wrong?" She asked, trying to catch her breath

"Attacks on Long Island sound" He replied. "Cabin 3 needs reinforcements"

"Is Charlie okay?" Annabeth's heart sank. All this fighting and she hasn't even thought about her kids were doing out there.

"For now" Will said. His first aid fanny pack hung at his waist, and his shirt was smeared with blood. Clearly there had been a lot of injuries already "Our beach defenses won't hold for long"

"Who's attacking?" Annabeth asked

"Telkhines, Skolopendras, Cetae and more" Will said "They're all led by a giant"

"Polybotes" Annabeth speculated "Let's go"

* * *

"Di Immortales" Annabeth yelled while slamming her fist on the ping pong table, knocking down a bowl of pretzels.

At the Big House, camp counselors and Greek veterans gathered to hear what Jason had to say. He described in full detail his encounter with Apate two days ago. Especially the part about Jason's future baby being the kick off of the Great prophecy, no... the _Final_ Prophecy.

"I don't understand" Valerie, head cabin of the Hercules cabin spoke "The prophecy doesn't mention Apate. How is she related?"

"Think of prophecies as pieces of a domino set" Chiron said in a soothing voice "The goddess of deception had managed to knock down the first piece somehow, and soon enough that piece will topple down the others."

No one liked the sound of that. Valerie sat back down, uncomfortable in her seat.

"What we need to figure out" Nico said "Is _how_ Piper's pregnancy started this chain reaction."

"Or why Apate said _Final_ prophecy" Will added.

"I don't mean to pry" Percy turned to Jason "But what are you going to do?"

Jason looked like he was going to throw up. He'd told the full story, not sparing any details. Annabeth could never understand how a person can be so brave and loyal. She couldn't help but wanting to give the guy a big hug. She wanted to go up to Piper and explain that the whole thing was a big trick that got her and Jason to broken up and somehow jump started the prophecy that might end the world.

"I haven't heard from Piper since that night" Jason said uneasily "I'm betting she's in Los Angeles right now, safe in the McLean mansion"

"So...?" Travis raised an eyebrow. It was hard believing that the guy had actually sat down and listened to the whole thing intently without cracking a joke. In so many ways, he matured, especially when he sat next to his wife Katie Gardiner. His elfish features became unnoticeable and he rarely played any tricks on anybody nowadays.

"So," Jason stood "We keep her there."

"Jason..." Annabeth started to say but couldn't finish her sentence. She felt a huge lump in her throat and her chest tightened as she understood what Jason was offering to do.

"She's an Aphrodite child" He continued "She doesn't have a strong scent, and monster attacks are rare these days anyways. I think the best way to delay this prophecy is to keep her and my baby out of both camps. Apate said my suffering will fuel the prophecy and it would start the day I meet _him_. That can only mean my one person: My son"

"My boy" Chiron interrupted "I can't ask you to make this sacrifice"

"It's not for you" Jason said "It's for the sake of my family. I'll push Piper away from here. Use her rage and anger at me to keep her and my baby safe. It's the only way."

"Kid, you won't get to raise your kid" Gleeson Hedge, second head of the Council of Cloven Elders, said

"As long as he's safe" Jason lowered his gaze. Annabeth could sense his shoulders being tense. It was taking all of his will power not to break down. To have to make this kind of decision in front of so many people... Annabeth could never imagine.

"Campers" Will announced "Go back to you daily activities. We'll call another meeting if we hear more information"

Annabeth approached Jason and put her hand on his back. He was slouched but he raised his head and exchanged a look with her. Annabeth could see the flicker in his lightning blue eyes fading. He wasn't crying but he might as well have.

Soon, the old campers gathered around him, giving him encouraging words and trying impossibly to raise his spirits. Then, Nico knelt down in front of him "You'll get your family back, Jason" he assured him "I swear it on the River Styx"

"He what!" Hazel exclaimed as she knocked over her glass of strawberry champagne. Her hair was gathered back in braids, her golden eyes flashing with anger. She wore a white dress—a wedding dress. At her side stood Frank in a black tuxedo and a look of concern for his new bride.

Annabeth didn't want to let Hazel about what her brother had promised Jason a month ago, especially on her wedding day, but Hazel had to understand what was going on, and since she was too busy planning a wedding this past month, there was no better time like the present.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier" Annabeth apologized "You were so busy because of the wedding"

Annabeth couldn't help but think how normal Frank and Hazel were, if you ignore the fact that Frank can turn into a gorilla or that Hazel can make illusions out of thin air. If Annabeth didn't know them any better, she would've never guessed that they were demigods. Unlike when she first met them, Hazel and Frank were completely comfortable with their surroundings, with who they were, and how their future is going to pan out.

Annabeth silently envied that about them. She always felt insecure about being not married to Percy yet. They've been engaged for thirteen years now, and still no wedding. There was still no word from Poseidon, except the usual nightmare reminding her she can't marry Percy.

"How can he be so stupid?!" Hazel grunted, then she fixed a weird look on Annabeth.

As if on cue, the moment Annabeth thought about marrying Percy, she felt nauseated, and had the need to run to the nearest bathroom. The world around her seemed to rotate and blend into mush. Her knees buckled, as if they couldn't hold her weight anymore.

"Annabeth!" Frank shouted as he tried to reach her before she fell.

When she woke up, she was in a bed, with Percy on a chair nearby.

"Hey" He said "You scared the Hades out of me"

"What happened?" She tried to get up, but her stomach betrayed her by sending more waves of nausea.

"You collapsed at the reception" Percy answered "Frank took you here to the bridal suite then Will took care of you. I got here after he left, so I don't know why you passed out."

Annabeth could tell Percy was worried. Ever since their _special_ trip to a _certain_ pit, she noticed he became extra protective of her. It was like she was made of glass and he was afraid to shatter it.

"I think I know what happened" Annabeth said as she laid back down, temporarily stopping her nausea. "It was Poseidon"

"What?!" Percy looked like he was going to reach for Riptide, forgetting that it wasn't there because they were inside the Pomerian line.

"I was thinking about marrying you." Annabeth sighed "Seaweed brain, it's all I can think about. So many of our friends are having their weddings and... I'm just... jealous."

"Hey," Percy reached for her hands "I've been dreaming about getting married to you since I was seventeen, Wise girl, and-"

To their right, a door opened and Will Solace walked in. He checked on Annabeth and told her he was glad she's fine and let her know that she caused quite a scare during the reception.

"But," Annabeth said "Why did I pass out?"

"You don't know?" Will raised his eyebrow.

"Don't know what?" Percy asked

"Dude," Will smiled "Annabeth's pregnant!"

Annabeth's brain immediately short circuited. She exchanged a look with Percy that probably meant _Did I hear that right?_ And then looked back at Will in a look of utter confusion.

"Did you just say I'm _pregnant_?" Annabeth asked, getting up from her bed . She tried ignoring the nausea that started to form.

"Three weeks pregnant" Will replied.

" _Three weeks_?" Annabeth was still trying to process that. It was like Will just spoke another language to her. She slowly started to make the connection to weird things that happened to her lately like how she felt like vomiting every time she smelled chicken or why she's been getting more headaches than usual.

"I'm-I'm sorry" Percy stuttered "Could you repeat that?"

"Annabeth - Is - Pregnant" Will enunciated every word like he was talking to a two year old "You two are going to be parents"

" _Parents_ " Percy muttered, still in disbelief

"I'm going to be... a mom." Annabeth finally grasped the idea "Seaweed brain, you're gonna be a dad"

"Oh gods," Percy turned to her and smiled "We're having a baby!"

"We're having a baby" Annabeth leaped forward, teary eyed, and kissed Percy, which was sort of impossible with both of them smiling like complete dorks.


	28. The Hades Table

"Did you tell Annabeth?" Hazel asked

When Frank descended to the basement, he explained to her that the assault on Half Blood Hill has started. Hazel had hoped with all her heart that this day would never come. The great prophecy had been keeping Hazel up at night for years. Even the thought about the descendant of Poseidon part made her shutter.

She'd always thought Frank fit all the descriptions of the hero of that prophecy. Son of Rome, _check_. Descendant of Neptune, _check_. And today, she was a wife holding treasure. There was no doubt in Hazel's mind that this prophecy was about Frank.

"No," Frank replied "I didn't want to."

The Big House basement smelled of strawberry. Around her feet, Hazel saw tons of Strawberry preserves and boxes of ambrosia stacked around the perimeter of the room. In the middle was a huge metal box. On the front was a old fashioned tri-spoke handle and one of those locker combination lock. It would've looked like a pretty normal safe, except from inside, something was definitely glowing a bright blue color.

* * *

Hazel's honeymoon had to wait a while. The morning after her wedding, she and Frank came to the conclusion that they had to be with their friends right now. Of course they were disappointed that they didn't get to have their getaway, but they were used to putting their duty before anything else.

In early morning, they arrived at Camp Half Blood. The place looked more or less peaceful, but that changed when Hazel stormed into cabin thirteen.

"Nicholas Di Angelo!" She yelled, waking up the two sons of Hades. Nico bonked his head on a shield, while Julian was sent tumbling down his bed yelling "What, what?"

"You _swore_ to the _Styx_ you would save Jason's _family_?" Hazel went on a rant "You know what happened the last time someone swore on the Styx? They died! Leo died, remember?"

"Hazel..."

"No," Hazel insisted "You of all people have to realize what it means to swear on the Styx, especially something big like that. Gods, you didn't even swear to the Styx when Percy asked you to lead us to the House of Hades. You know the consequences, Nico"

"Hazel," Nico said calmly "I'm going to do it. I'll bring his family together."

"What _are_ the consequences of breaking the oath?" Julian asked. He was a ten year old kid with short espresso colored hair. He had black eyes, just like Nico's but the similarities ended there. He wore an orange shirt and jeans, which was way too colorful for a son of Hades. A smile was always found on Julian's face, and his eyes always gleamed with happiness. He was claimed last year by Hades, after Coach Hedge had found him in a Florida boarding school. Hazel silently wondered how Nico looked like when he was Julian's age, and whether Julian is going to grow up to be like Nico.

"There are worse things than death, Julian" Hazel sighed "If Styx doesn't kill you at the spot, then you would be dragged to the Underworld, and tortured."

Hazel shuddered at that happy thought. Julian fixed his eyes on her, as if that wasn't enough explanation.

"Styx punishes oath breakers with nine years of insanity." Nico explained "It would be so overwhelming that you lose your speech, and you would be in almost a coma state. It's kind of Styx's way of preventing you from making further empty promises."

"Which is _why_ " Hazel continued "Your big brother is a stupid, idiot-"

She started whacking Nico upside the head with every insult. Nico tried to protect himself by yelling her name and laughing.

"I'll be fine" Nico stopped her, mid-laugh "I don't make empty promises, I swear it on the-"

"I will kill you" Hazel warned.

"Sheesh, I was just kidding" Nico cracked a smile "We better get out of here. Breakfast is about to start"

The three of them walked in the direction of the dinning pavilion. Campers were scrambled, some cleaning, other doing their morning archery practice, but most were headed to breakfast. Hazel had only spent a few days at Camp Half Blood before. She loved the Greek energy and dynamic. They were so much less structured, and being here seemed more fun and loose than Camp Jupiter, but the real reason Hazel loved visiting was that she could be with her brothers.

Although Hazel loved Nico with all her heart, she had to make some space for her younger brother Julian. When she found out she had another sibling, Hazel saw being big sister as a chance to practice parenting, but she never admitted that to anyone.

At the pavilion, rows of tables crowded the place. Two new tables were added since Hazel last visited. The Aphrodite, Hermes and Athena tables were as big and busy as ever. Apollo's table seemed to shrink seeming as though Apollo is too busy with his new wife. In the front, Zeus' table was still empty, though Poseidon's table was occupied by three figures.

Hazel saw a red collection of feathers, which she immediately recognized as her old friend, Ella the harpy. She sat next to her boyfriend, Tyson. Tyson, being the big teddy bear that he was, hugged the third boy and screamed "Brother!" at the top of his lungs.

The boy seemed uncomfortable. He looked no more than Julian's age. He was tan, as if he'd spent his whole life under the sun and had long wavy blonde hair, about shoulder length, maybe more.

"That's Alexander" Julian said "He's a cool guy, awesome surfer. He was showing us his moves on Long Island sound when a Trident showed up over his head."

"Son of Poseidon" Hazel understood.

"Yeah" Nico said "The Big Three got busy after the first great prophecy was over."

Hazel thought about that. She knew the Big Three gods had made an oath after finding out about the first great prophecy not to have any children, but now that they weren't bound by that oath. That explained why kids like Aria, Julian and Alexander popped up.

Hazel proceeded down the rows. She waved at Frank who was sitting with his bulky siblings at the Ares table. Hazel doubted it was customary for a bride and groom to eat breakfast separately, but when have their lives ever been customary.

Campers proceeded to say morning prayers, and threw their food in to honor their respective parents. Hazel threw in her biggest fluffiest pancake and sat back down.

"How's Jason?" Hazel asked

"Miserable." Nico explained "Been stuck at his house for a month now. He never goes out, not even for grocery shopping"

"That's terrible"

"Will and I take turns checking on him" Nico said "We're trying to convince him to come out and teach a sword fighting lesson, but he doesn't want to"

"Want me to try?" Hazel asked

"Be my guest." Nico shrugged "Doubt it'll convince him. He's too stubborn."

"Says the guy who still teaches me to shadow travel despite his fiance's orders" Julian grumbled while eating his waffle

"Hey!" Nico warned "What did I say about talking about our lessons?"

" _Fiance_?" Hazel's eyes got wide "Back up, you're-"

"Shh" Nico hissed "You want people to start gossiping? Yes. I proposed to Will two days before your wedding under the Athena Parthenos"

Hazel looked at Nico's hands and immediately noticed that they were empty. Instinctively, she turned at the Apollo table to see Will's finger carrying a silver shape: Nico's skull ring, his last gift from Bianca Di Angelo.

"You gave him her ring?" Hazel asked. She was shocked as to see how Nico could give up the last remains of his dead sister.

"Yeah, yeah" Nico's face immediately soured. No matter how many years passed, the thought of Bianca always seemed to always get him down. It was like reopening an old wound. "If Bianca was here, I'm sure she wouldn't mind. She would've loved Will... and you. I wish you could've met her"

There it was again. Hazel's biggest insecurity. She always wondered what would've happened if Bianca didn't leave the Underworld. Would Nico even bother to save Hazel? Or was she just charity? Hazel was Nico's sister, but she wasn't and will never be Bianca.

"Have you heard from Reyna?" Nico asked, seeming as he wanted to change the subject.

"Still honeymooning" Hazel said "Still no word from her since Jason's wedding"

"Who's Reyna?" Julian asked, sipping on his Kool-Aid.

"Roman goddess of peace and truth" Nico said "And my best friend. Tell you later. Anything about... you know?"

"No." Hazel lowered her head. Suddenly her food didn't taste so good "I tried using my magic, visited Rachel, read and reread The Sibylline Books, but they all lead back to the same thing."

"Julian and I made our trips to the Underworld" Nico added "Everything seems fine as far as the land of the dead goes, but the door to Tartarus... Something is definitely stirring."

"There's bad vibes coming from that place" Julian added "Not death, something way more _intense_."

That didn't exactly comfort Hazel. She wasn't Nico, but whenever she touched the page about the Great Prophecy in the Sibylline books, she shuddered. If Hazel knew one thing, it's that this prophecy will end in tons of death.


	29. The 3AM Iris Message

"Calypso now!" Jason yelled over the battle cries and clashing of weapons.

Jason clashed his sword with Krios' Stygian Iron blade again, then willed the winds to back away to where Calypso stood. She was concentrating and muttering a hymn in ancient Greek. He caught glimpses of a few words: light, sun, shine.

Calypso opened her eyes and nodded, while still keeping her hymn. Jason raised his sword and concentrated on the sky. He hoped Jupiter was listening to his prayers. In a few seconds, he could smell ozone in the air and smoky clouds forming in the night sky. He willed lightning to hit the tip of his sword only to be deflected off the blade into Krios' chest.

The titan screamed in agony as bolts of lightning destroyed his black armor, leaving him completely defenseless. Just before Krios could get his bearings and strike again, Calypso ended her hymn and opened her hands. From within her palms, a bright light erupted blinding Jason. Depressingly, it reminded him of when Hera had took her true form in front of him, almost killing him in the process.

From in front, Jason could hear Krios' screams, and the clashing of swords subside in the background, probably warriors and monsters being blinded from Calypso's magic. This only left the receding yelling of the Titan, until it completely stopped. Instinctively, Jason opened his eyes to see the light within Calypso's hands gone, along with the Krios.

" _Eiaculare flammas_!" A young girl's voice resonanted across the silence of the valley and a wave of flaming arrows arced over the legion's shield wall, destroying a platoon of draceana. Jason and Calypso turned around and saw Roman ranks moving forward, impaling troops of gorgons and trampling wounded dracenae under their bronze-tipped boots.

Somewhere downhill, Jason heard "Repellere equites!" He tried to focus on where the voice was coming from and saw a girl with chocolate colored skin and black frizzy hair floating on a white Pegasus. On her right, a man who was a few years older floated in mid air, just like Jason. He had Roman style blonde hair, and wore a full battle armor, with an Imperial golden sword drawn in his hand.

'Ave, Praetor Zhang!' The blonde guy called.

'Ave, Praetor Grace!' the girl said. 'Legion, CLOSE RANKS!'

Jason felt dizzy. He realized what was going on and who those two people were. Jason had not been at Camp Jupiter on the last Feast of Fotuna, when Aria and Jonathen stepped down. He heard that they were replaced by two legacies, only now did Jason realize who they were: Frank and Hazel's eldest daughter, Emily Zhang, and Jason's own son: Tom Grace.

"Our reinforcements!" Calypso smiled beside him.

The five cohorts melded together into one formation. Emily pointed her sword forward and, from the golden eagle standard, tendrils of lightning swept across the enemy, turning several hundred monsters to toast.

'Legion, _cuneum formate_!' Tom yelled. 'Advance!'

* * *

 _I need you here, Jason. I don't want to do this without you. I understand you made a mistake... mistakes happen. We vowed that we'll start over, how many times we need, and I'm ready to. I just don't want our baby to grow up without his father. My due date is in two weeks, and I already pre-registered his birth at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Please don't let me do this alone._

Jason set down Piper's letter on his desk. The paper shouldn't have looked that old, but Jason read and reared it for four weeks now, leaving a fair share of tears, crumpling and tearing whenever he picked it up. It seemed as though every time he wanted to know how cruel the fates were, or how much the universe hated him, he picked up that letter.

Piper didn't send him a second letter announcing his baby's birth, but Mellie, Coach Hedge's wife, had been at the hospital with Piper on the night of September thirtieth. She informed Jason that Piper decided to name the boy Thomas Grace, for her grandpa Tom.

Jason proceeded to the living room. Ever since the incident with Apate, Jason couldn't step into the bedroom. Guilt over washed him whenever he tried, so he had been sleeping on the coach for the past ten months now.

In his dreams, Jason saw Apate. Her black dress flowed down her body, her sly smile forming on her face.

"Soon, Jason Grace." She hissed "Soon, the final prophecy will start"

Jason couldn't move or speak. He wanted to scream. He wanted to beat up the goddess of trickery, the person who ruined his life. He wanted to ask her what in Hades was she talking about. So many things wanted to escape Jason's mouth, but nothing did.

The scene shifted to the McLean mansion. He saw Piper in her bedroom, cradling a newborn baby. He was wrapped in a blue blanket, and a tuft of blonde hair peeked out of his blue beanie. His multicolored eyes were slowly drifting to sleep at the sound of Piper's singing. Jason didn't pay much attention to the song, but he realized later that she was singing about him: The infamous Jason Grace who defeated giants to save the world.

"Someday you'll meet him, Tommy" Piper said as she tucked him.

Jason wanted so badly to join them on that bed, to pull both of them in his embrace. He wanted more than anything to be with Piper and Tom. He attempted to reach out to them, but as soon as he did that, wind blew in the room and baby Tom opened his eyes to reveal black eye sockets where his eyes used to be.

 _The void must devour the son of Rome._ Tom opened his mouth to reveal a raspy powerful voice that was clearly not of a baby.

Jason woke up in cold sweat. He checked the clock to find out it was four in the morning. He laid back on the couch, thinking about his nightmare. The part about Apate didn't surprise him. She popped up in his nightmares regularly, but seeing Piper with Tommy was new... especially the recitation of that line in the Final prophecy.

Before Jason could analyze the dream further, a cloud of colorful smoke appeared near his couch. From within, Nico's face came into view

"Jason," He said, on the other line of the Iris message "Big house now!"

The smoke dissipated before Jason could ask. He quickly put on some clothes and left his home. Upon his arrival at the Big House porch, he heard screaming coming from inside. He opened the door and ran to where the screaming was coming from.

"Perseus Jackson I will kill you!" Annabeth yelled as Jason entered the room, making Jason wonder if he can quickly slip out without anyone noticing.

"Come on, you can do this, Wise girl!" Percy was on Annabeth's right side. Jason had a side view of Annabeth's legs in the air, which he was grateful for. He wanted to keep his relationship with Annabeth strictly professional, and he doubted looking at her while she gave birth would keep that relationship alive. Grover and Nico stood near Jason, looking as uncomfortable as Jason felt.

"Here we go!" Will said encouragingly. He was crouching in front of Annabeth, wearing a scrub shirt, jeans and flip flips "Okay, keep pushing! Wait! I see something."

"What? You do?" Percy ran over to look "Oh my gods!"

"Don't say oh my gods." Annabeth screamed "Oh my gods what?"

"It's the baby's buttock, it's breech" Will noted. Jason remembered that Percy and Annabeth didn't want to find out the sex of the baby. In their words, they wanted to keep it a mystery.

"Oh thank Poseidon" Percy heaved a sigh "I thought it had two heads. I'm not prepared for another Greek disaster"

"Annabeth," Will said "the baby is in a more difficult position so you're gonna have to push even harder now. Push!"

"I'm sorry, I can't!" Annabeth laid back after pushing for a few seconds. Jason realized he'd never seen her in such pain and misery before. He silently wondered how she must have looked when she was in Tartarus.

"Yes you can!" Percy assured her, and held her hand again.

"I can't, seaweed brain" Annabeth started crying and at that moment, Jason wanted to leave but his legs failed to move. "It's Hera! She's making the birth of my child difficult"

"Hey!" Percy chided her "Come on! I know you can do this! Screw Hera. Let's go! One final push! Ready? 1...2...3!"

"Here we go!" Will warned "The baby is upside down but it's coming"

From underneath the blankets, a new sound vibrated. A mix of crying and choking on liquid. Jason managed to peek a glance at the baby: A blonde baby boy.

"Annabeth" Percy's voice cracked "He's...he's perfect."

"He?" Annabeth asked, she was breathing heavily and clearly exhausted. Will took the baby and wrapped him up in a few blankets then handed him to Annabeth.

"Congrats you guys" Will took off his gloves. His hands were shaking hard then he ran over to hug Nico ferociously.

"You okay?" Nico asked, looking uncomfortable with the sudden physical contact.

"I retire from medicine" Will fake sobbed onto Nico's shoulder

"We'll give you guys some privacy. Let's go, medicine boy." Nico announced. He dragged Will out of the room, leaving the new parents with Jason and Grover.

"What are you gonna name him?" Grover asked. Percy and Annabeth exchanged a look, like they had already thought about the answer to that question decades ago.

"We were thinking Luke" Annabeth said "Lucas Ethan Jackson"

"Just for the record" Grover said "If Luke Castellan was here, he would've been really happy for you guys."

In that moment, Jason felt uncomfortable. He was the only person who didn't know who Luke was. He sort of wished he had met the guy who broke Thalia and Annabeth's hearts repeatedly, so he could give him a good black eye. Though, the way Jason's friends talked about him made him sound like a decent guy... a hero. Honestly, Jason wasn't so sure he would've liked Luke Castellan.

"Give me your engagement ring" Percy demanded Annabeth

"What?" Annabeth look confused, with baby Luke in her arms.

"Just give me the ring" Percy insisted. Annabeth shrugged, and gave the baby to Grover. She took off her diamond ring and handed it to Percy.

"Will you marry me this Sunday?" Percy asked, kneeling down on one knee. Jason didn't notice it at first, but Percy looked almost as exhausted as Annabeth. Black circles surrounded his eyes, and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Percy what are you doing?" Annabeth cracked a smile.

"I need to be married to you" Percy announced "We've waited way too long. Will you marry me on Sunday?"

Annabeth's gray eyes stormed, the way the did when she was in deep thought. If any woman can overcome the surge of pregnancy and childbirth hormones, it was Annabeth. She always managed to make the right decision.

"Yes" Annabeth answered. Percy quickly got off his knees and placed the ring on her fingers again. Percy kissed Annabeth on her forehead, and got his son from Grover.

In that moment, Jason wanted to be happy for his two friends, but he thought about Tommy and Piper. Jason wanted to believe that someday he will get to be with them, and be normal for once, though he knew that once he dared attempt that, all his problems will start.


	30. The Curse

**[I hate me for writing this chapter. I started Magnus Chase the other day so here's a small appearance of my favorite viking]**

"Mom!" A teenage girl with raven black hair and sea green eyes screamed at Annabeth. It wasn't that Annabeth disliked her daughter, Charlie, but every time she looked at her, she wanted to sob. Charlotte Jackson was a mirror image of her father. Her ability to control water, the way she smiled as if she was hiding something, even down to her smell that was of a salty beach. She was almost identical to Percy.

"Talk to me" Annabeth commanded, raising her voice over the sea storm and battle that raged on Long Island sound

"Aigaion and Kym campers are slowing down monsters as much as they can." Charlie nodded at the storm forming on the beaches, where a group of teenage kids standing at the beach, who were outnumbered by Telekhines and Lastrygonian giants "Cyclopes are underwater defense. They're supposed to stop the monsters from advancing onto the beach, but by the looks of it, it's not working"

"And cabin three?" Annabeth asked

"Jin was injured badly" Charlie said gravely "Brad, Alexander, Jennifer and I are offense, but as you can tell we're badly outnumbered. We need reinforcements... fast"

"Leo is here" Annabeth remembered "I'll try to send out a signal, but the Argo II is needed more at the New Athens site"

"Wait, _the_ Argo II?" Charlie's eyes got wide

"No time," Annabeth waved off the question "Where's Polybotes?"

"Not here." Charlie said "Uncle Tyson thinks he's at the army reserves: very last line of attackers. I'm betting he's waiting to strike once we're weakened."

Annabeth tried to think. The main battle was raging on in the middle of the sea, so Annabeth couldn't actually be much help out there. They were definitely in need of more beach defenses, but who?

Immediately, Annabeth took out her cell phone from underneath her armor. She had a voicemail from an unknown caller.

"Annabeth" A young man said on the other line. The connection was poor and static-y "Fenris wolf's chains" _Static_ "Loki's escape" _Static_ "Heimdall blew his horn" _Static_ "Ragnarok" _Static_ "Valhalla is preparing for battle" _Static_ "You and the kids be safe _please_ "

Annabeth put her phone away. She silently wished Magnus Chase, her dead cousin, would come with some friends from Valhalla to save the day, but now after that voicemail, Annabeth is starting to think this battle is global... it might be something bigger than the Greeks and Romans.

 _Okay_. Annabeth thought. _One problem at a time._

Annabeth looked at her daughter's eyes: the same sea green color that Annabeth had studied since she was twelve years old. She knew what had to be done. Her head lifted and her view fixed on the horizon. She closed her eyes and made a silent prayer, hoping her words would reach in time. She knew the risks, but Camp Half Blood is in danger. Poseidon should know what's at stake if this is truly huge.

"Holy Zeus" Charlie said underneath her breath.

Annabeth opened her eyes. In normal circumstances, she would've cried out in relief, sobbed until her eyes sockets were out of tears, but she knew that there was no time. In the far horizon, an old-fashioned three-masted ship was sailing towards the shore.

"He's too early," Charlie muttered "There's five years left"

"On deck!" Shouting came from the ship "Man the braces!"

"Mom!" Charlie shook Annabeth's shoulder, but it was like moving a solid rock.

On the ship's deck, Annabeth searched the crew that was running about, pulling ropes and raising the sails, shouting at each other while they prepared the cannons. On the far end of the ship at the quarterdeck, manning the helm of the ship was the captain, standing there with his salt and pepper hair ruffling in the wind and sea green eyes that was searching the beach hungrily, as if looking for his stolen treasure.

"Percy" Annabeth whispered with a smile.

* * *

"I'm the daughter of Athena" Annabeth muttered to herself "I defeated Kronos, I made it out of Tartarus, I'm the architect of Olympus, I gave birth... I can do this. I can do this"

Music from the Apollo campers' lyres rang in her ears, and the Hephaestus light system made it hard for Annabeth to look. She felt like if she saw Percy, this knot in her stomach might fade away, but that was impossible.

"Just don't Judo flip him, and you'll be good to go" Piper touched Annabeth's shoulder and proceeded down the white aisle, marking the last person before Annabeth. She was hesitant about inviting Piper today, but she had made sure that baby Tom would stay in Los Angeles, which Annabeth was grateful for. The last thing she wanted was another apocalypse starting while she was saying her vows.

Annabeth inhaled "Here goes everything" muttered, and held onto her father, Fredrick Chase. Annabeth couldn't express her gratitude enough to Chiron when he agreed to let her and Percy's family to come in for the day. The music around her seemed to change, the lights still blinded her, forbidding her to see who was down the aisle, so she focused on the audience.

All around, she noticed plenty of familiar faces that made it last minute to a wedding: Clarisse and Chris, Travis and Katie, Miranda and Sherman, Connor and Lou Ellen, all sitting on the last minute wooden wedding chairs that the Hephaestus campers whipped up. Sally, Paul and fifteen year old Estelle were sitting on the right hand first row, while Annabeth's mom, Matthew and Bobby sat on the left side, with Calypso at the very end of the row, holding baby Luke.

Among the small crowds, Annabeth picked out a woman sitting in the middle whom she immediately recognized: Aphrodite. She looked normal enough, considering she was stunningly beautiful. She winked at Annabeth and gestured for her to look forward. Annabeth obliged, and in front of her, she saw Chiron in the very middle, in stallion form wearing a sharp suit. On the left side, Piper, Juniper, Hazel and Rachel lined up, all in their different style blue dresses. On the right, Grover, Jason, Leo and Frank lined up, all in suits and blue ties. Everyone was in their spots on the Big House Porch.

Finally, Annabeth brought herself to look at Percy. He filled her tunnel vision, as if she could only see him now. The music faded, and the crowds disappeared. His green eyes were fixated at her, taking everything in. Annabeth could have sworn she saw a tear find its way down his cheeks, but before she could look again, she found herself at the end of the aisle. Percy held out his hand, while her dad took her hand and, in a symbol as old as the gods, placed it in Percy's. Together, he helped her up the small set of stairs she had climbed everyday since she was seven.

Chiron began his introductions. Annabeth found it hard to focus on his words, being distracted by Percy muttering "wow" and "you look amazing". She was tempted to pause the ceremony, and either judo flip him for not making her focus or kiss him so hard that she forgets how to breath.

"Annabeth Chase," Chiron said "Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do." Annabeth said, a smile piercing the sides of her face, making her facial muscles hurt.

"Perseus Jackson, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do." Percy replied, filling Annabeth's stomach with more butterflies than the day she met him right in this very house.

"I now ask you to declare your marriage vows." Chiron announced.

Annabeth handed her blue white Hyacinth flower bouquet, courtesy of Reyna and Apollo, to Piper. She took Percy's hand in hers, and prayed to Athena she wouldn't mess up. She took a deep breath and spoke:

"I, Annabeth Chase, take you Percy, as my husband, till the day Hades parts us. I vow to love you in all my days and beyond. I vow to always be there to stop you from doing your dumb seaweed brain mistakes, but most of all, I vow to never give up on us, no matter how hard it gets, or how much the world throws us around"

She looked at Percy, who was in awe at her words. She shook her head and thought _Seaweed brain..._

"I, Percy Jackson," He said "can't vow to always be with you and I can't vow that I will never leave, but I vow that I will always come back to you... no matter how long it takes, because no one will never stop me from loving you, Wise girl."

Annabeth choked up, and tried to catch her breath. Now, _she_ was the one who was crying. She pulled herself together just before Chiron announced that they were married and that they can kiss. Percy inched closer and pulled her face slowly to his. She didn't notice the claps or the chanting all around when her lips me his, until Clarisse growled "Well it's about time" and felt her body being carried by hoards of people.

When she pulled away from Percy a huge cheer went up as Connor Stoll screamed "To the Canoe Lake!" and were carried down the hill, keeping Annabeth at a close enough distance to hold hands with Percy. Annabeth was laughing, and Percy was too. A part of her wanted to be forever still at that moment.

"Come on guys" Percy said, with a huge smile "Is this necessary?"

"Dude," Travis looked offended "it's tradition!"

And with that note, they were dumped into the water. Annabeth's dress started floating up, and bubbles clouded her vision, until she heard Percy's underwater laugh and was caught in his embrace again, being pulled in for her second favorite underwater kiss of all time.

Percy and Annabeth took a long time to emerge back up on land, but when they did, Annabeth's first instinct was to run back to the lake.

The crowd that was once laughing and cheering were facing the person she last wanted to make an appearance on her wedding day: Poseidon. Much like the last time he visited them, he arrived in his hippocampus-pulled chariot, with the massive trident in his left hand.

"You defied my orders!" Poseidon shouted. Annabeth felt the ground beneath her feet shaking. She heard waves clashing in the still canoe lake.

"Dad-" Percy stepped forward

"No!" Poseidon tapped his trident against his chariot floor again, shaking the entire ground of Half Blood Hill. "I shall not be disrespected by you again. I tried to protect you, you feeble minded heroes, but you, Percy Jackson... defying my orders is the last straw"

Annabeth held onto Percy's hand. She could feel him shaking, though she wasn't sure if it was him or the miniature earthquake rumbling beneath her. Annabeth looked at Poseidon again, who had his trident drawn and pointed in Percy's direction. She started muttering a prayer to her mother, wishing for her protection.

The trident's hum became louder, charging with divine power, and from the tip, a shot of pure energy fired at Percy's direction.

Annabeth screamed as it hit Percy, sending him to his knees while wailing in agony. For a few seconds, his body radiated blue light, then the light slowly receded to the middle of his chest. He fell to the floor, unable to catch his breath, like a fish on land.

"Lord Poseidon, what did you do?" Annabeth said hopelessly, tears streaming down her face, her voice barely sounding the words she was saying.

"Your husband is now bound to my seas!" And with one more rumble, the god of the sea vanished.

Annabeth was unable to move. She was stuck on her knees next to Percy, who still couldn't find his breath. In a blur, Jason and Frank stepped forward, and carried him to the water of the canoe lake, without drowning his head, allowing the son of Poseidon to get the fresh breath of air that he desperately needed.

"Percy," Frank grasped his shoulder "What did he do?"

"I-" Percy hesitated, still catching his breath and clutching his chest "He spoke in my mind, saying that I'm a slave to the sea now and I can't step foot on land again... not until the next twelve years."

"No" Calypso muttered "No, no, no, no."

"What?" Leo demanded "Babe, what's wrong?"

"I- I heard this tale." She admitted "A long time ago, I remember, Hades and Poseidon weren't on good terms. Hades had a hard time claiming souls that died at sea and Poseidon refused to help him. Ghosts of sailors always lingered in water and never found their way to the Underworld. Drake told me about a son of Poseidon who had defied his father. Posiedon placed a curse on him, and he used the curse to kill two birds with one stone. He condemned his son to twelve years of servitude at sea, capturing dead souls to send them to Hades through a special gateway to the Underworld."

"Wait" Nico said "I've never heard of another Underworld gate"

"It's not mentioned in any Ancient Greek books because it's not ancient" Aphrodite explained, emerging form the back of the crowds "The curse was placed in the 1600's on a man named Davy Jones, who also defied his father because of love. The twelve years he'd spent at sea gave him so much heartache, that when he stepped foot on land again, he carved his own heart out and gave it as a gift to his lover. The next time he stepped foot on land, he found out that she had fallen in love with another man abandoning his heart, and so Davy Jones' heart literally shattered of heartbreak. It's one of my favorite stories!"

"Davy Jones Locker..." Nico muttered "I thought that was just an old sailor lore"

"We should have known by now that all lore and myths are real" Hazel murmured.

"So what?" Percy said angrily "I'm destined to travel the sea til the end of time and only step foot on land once every twelve years"

"Yes!" Aphrodite said with glee "Isn't that romantic?!"

"Mom!" Piper chided.

"Well, you would have to visit your father's palace to get orders." She explained "Then, I don't know. Get a ship, sail the sea, blah blah blah."

Annabeth could feel the Earth beneath her rumbling again, though it wasn't an earthquake. Her whole body shook and she toppled over to the ground. Everyone was so focused on what Aphrodite was saying that no one noticed her losing consciousness until she hit the ground.

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled, attempting to get out of lake but Jason forbidding him. Grover and Rachel ran to Annabeth sides and helped her up. She tried to control herself, and process everything that has happened in the last few minutes, but her mind seemed to go into overload mode.

"Are you okay?" Grover whispered.

"Well of course she is" Aphrodite smiled "She's pregnant!"


	31. The Very Very Ancient History Lesson

**[Im finally getting to write about my favorite booger.]  
**  
"Extend the mast!" Percy bellowed "Ready the cannons"

His crew scrambled on the deck of the Queen Anne's Revenge, carrying the celestial bronze cannon balls and loaded them into the cannons. Percy steadied the helm, inching closer to the direction of Long Island Sound. Wind from the storm that hovered over the beach ruffled the main mast and pushed them forward onto battle.

"What be you orders, captain?" A huge man appeared near Percy, with a long tangled pitch-black beard and teeth the same color. He wore mismatched clothes of wool and leather, knee-length boots, and a floppy felt hat.

"We're saving my home, Edward" Percy told his first mate "Fire"

"Fire!" He yelled to the crew. Men lit the strings, and in a few seconds balls of Greek fire exploded, fired straight into the water. Normal cannon balls would've been slowed down by the current, but the Greek fire infused celestial bronze material pierces through water just like air. Dozens of explosions fired from the Queen Anne's Revenge, straight into enemy lines.

Percy ordered Teach to man the helm. He leaned over the railings and tried to scan who were Tartarus' underwater troops. Percy saw at least a thousand of those annoying Telekhines, but at the very end of the reserve he saw one of his old enemies: Polybotes himself.

* * *

Percy backed up, took a deep breath and ran at top speed on the main deck, throwing himself over the ship's railings. He just had enough time to hear a crew member yell "Captain overboard" before he hit the water surface, diving straight into enemy lines.

"Pregnant?" Annabeth muttered "No, no, no. I just had a baby like last week"

"You guys got busy, apparently" Aphrodite shrugged "But, I see her clearly. A very strong baby girl, that looks just like her daddy."

Percy tried to take everything in: His own father cursing him for a life at sea at his own wedding, him missing out on raising his newborn baby, and missing out on a life with Annabeth. Now, he was also going to miss his daughter's birth. He wanted to strangle Poseidon, then Aphrodite, and maybe even every single Olympian.

In the lake, Percy felt safe. He never would've never thought that land could be so evil, not since Gaea. The thought about choking and drowning in mid air gave him chills. He never wanted to experience that again.

Annabeth got over her shock slowly. Even in her wet wedding dress, she looked stunning, maybe even more beautiful than Aphrodite. Annabeth got closer to the lake and sat down, leaning forward to face him.

"How are you doing?" He asked, not realizing how stupid that must have sounded.

"You know, just the usual" She cracked a smile that Percy knew was fake. One thing about having huge grey eyes, they were incredibly terrible at hiding Annabeth's true emotions. "Twelve years, huh?"

"Yup..." Percy could feel his own depression in that one simple word "You know we'll find a way, right? We always do"

"Of course" Annabeth bit her lower lip and held out her hand for his. Percy reached over, but the moment he touched her, electricity cackled within their fingers shooting pain through his spine, immediately forcing him to let go.

"No touching" Annabeth noted. She was smart that way. "What are you going to do?"

"I think I'll go to the Underwater palace first," Percy admitted "Then I'll have to find myself a ship."

"Sounds good" Annabeth nodded "Be safe, seaweed brain"

"You too" Percy resisted the urge to lean in and kiss her... or hug her... or share any sort of physical contact. He swam backwards and dove underwater.

One long swim later, Percy found himself at his father's underwater palace again. As always, his dad was lounging on the throne, wearing the same outfit as before: Coral armor and trident in his hand. At his side, the beautiful Amphitrite, was talking to him, but stopped when she saw Percy enter the room.

"Percy," She said "Happy to see you again, darling"

"Likewise" Percy gritted his teeth. He fixed his eyes at Poseidon, waiting for an explanation, an order, anything. "So, you're not going to say anything?"

"What do you expect me to say?" Poseidon said, his voice vibrating the entire sea floor.

"How about why?" Percy replied "Why did you do it?"

"I was trying to protect you!" Poseidon leaned forward in anger.

"From what?!" Percy could feel his own pulse in his fingertips, but Poseidon didn't answer. He just reclined back on his comfy throne, glaring at him. Percy shared a look with his step mother, but she also gave him no answer.

"Percy" She finally said "You must understand that your father is in charge of a very large kingdom, and over the centuries, it has not been easy for him to keep peace"

"Okay..." Percy wanted to understand why the sudden change in topic.

"The underwater politics are, well, complicated" She continued.

Percy glanced over at his father one more time. It didn't hit Percy before, but Poseidon looked somewhat older. He always appeared about thirty or forty years old, with purely black black hair. Now his hair had a few bands of grey, faint wrinkles lines his eyes. He had learned that Poseidon reflects the state of the sea, and Percy was share that looking at Poseidon, the sea wasn't doing so good.

"As you know, there used to be primordial beings before gods and Titans" She said "You've met Gaea, Nyx and Tartarus, but there are countless others: Erebus , for example, is darkness."

"Yeah, I know that" Percy admitted.

"But what you don't know," She said "is that they never got along. They were all in competition for Gaea's heart. They all wanted her for themselves. The sky was her first husband, but that didn't end well, as you know"

Percy did know. Gaea had suffered from her relationship with Ouranos. He tortured her and her kids, favoring the Titans while hating the Cyclopes. As much as Percy hated Gaea, he did feel sorry for her. He understands what it felt like to be in an abusive relationship.

"After Ourano's death," Amphitrite spoke "Gaea found a consort in a god much like Ouranos, Aether"

"God of air" Percy noted

"That's right" She agreed "But, the sky gods never had much... compassion" It was clear she was trying hard not to use another, probably more colorful, word.

"Aether was also a cruel god, and they never got along" She said "Even their children were proof their toxic relationship: grief, madness, pain. And so, she decided to never have another relationship with a sky god. She moved on to a more closer god, her neighbor, Pontus."

At the sound of his name, Posedion grumbled, and sank back into his coral chair.

"Pontus also proved a bad boyfriend. And again, Gaea realized that their children weren't very... nice" Percy silently admired his step mom for being so calm. "And finally, she moved on to her last resort: the pit that sat beneath her. Gaea hated that she would even think of dating the most evil known being in the universe, but surprisingly, she found that Tartarus was kind and respectful, and so she remarried."

"Talk about a twist" Percy added. He thought hardly about Gaea and began to understand how she became so vengeful and crazy. She had suffered eons of toxic relationships that forced her to be an evil force. He wanted to believe that she once used to in fact be the kind spirit of mother earth, but that was before all the abuse.

"Yes" She said "But, this created problems. The gods of the air, sea and darkness developed a rocky relationship because of Gaea"

Percy understood what she was saying. His exes used to never got along. He recalled how Annabeth used to treat Rachel and Calypso. It was _really_ awkward for him. Eventually, of course, they began to forget Percy's existence, and develop a life long friendship, but he doubted gods were that forgiving, especially primordial gods.

"Thanks for the history lesson," Percy said "But what was the moral of the story?"

"The moral" Poseidon finally addressed him "Is that Gaea is gone, and those gods are finally starting to sort out their differences."

"In so many ways" Amphritrite explained "Gaea was the glue holding the world together. She might have wanted to destroy the world, but her existence kept peace among the beings that roamed it."

"So you're saying that killing her was wrong?" Percy raised his eyebrow.

"Gods no," She said "What you kids did was the right thing for the world, but... we must face the consequences"

"I don't understand" Percy admitted.

"Percy," Poseidon spoke in a calmer tone "What happened after you destroyed Kronos?"

"Gaea woke" Percy answered

"And what do you think will happen now that she's gone based on what we just explained to you?"

Percy already knew the answer to the question, but saying it would make everything more real. He hoped with every fiber of his being that he is wrong.

"The... primordial gods" Percy finally answered "They're making some sort of alliance"

Neither Poseidon or Amphritrite told him No! You're crazy. Suddenly, it dawned on Percy that nothing mattered anymore. There was a reason those dark gods called the Great Prophecy the final one. Defeating one primordial goddess was hopeless, but fighting three of them... that's a suicide mission.

"Please tell me the gods can help" Percy pleaded.

"We are bound by ancient laws" Poseidon said "We will need you heroes, yet again."

"What can we do?" Percy asked hopelessly

"First things first," The queen of the sea announced, swimming closer to Percy "Our kingdom is facing a dire situation with the wake of Pontus. He's gathering ancient sea forces, and many of our subjects are changing sides"

"Percy" Poseidon stood "You will go on a quest to infiltrate Pontus' headquarters. You need to slow him down as much as you can."

"Okay a few questions" Percy announced, before the two gods did their usual vanishing act "Where is his headquarters?"

"I don't know." Poseidon admitted "It's obscured from my vision."

"Okay..." Percy continued "If you're assigning me a quest, won't I need a prophecy? A team? Something to help me out?"

Without an answer, Poseidon pointed his massive trident at Percy again, encircling him is hoards of sea foam, and his vision went dark.


	32. The Big House Bedroom

**[Short solangelo chapter, just because i missed those boogers]**

Nico was not having a great day.

He hated admitting that Will Solace is ever right, but the constant shadow travelling is draining him quickly. His first jump from New York to California was a piece of a cake. He warned the senate house, declared war at Bellona's temple and he quickly went back to Half Blood Hill. The second time, for Jason and Annabeth, wasn't not too bad, but the third was the nail in his coffin.

Nico couldn't hold himself up. His knees quickly buckled and in no time, he was on top of a red carpet.

"Nico!" Piper's voice echoed across the room. She ran and came to his aid, hauling him up and aiding him to a seat. "Gods, you're paler than a sheet of paper"

"No time" Nico groaned "We need to go to camp. Jason and Tom, they need you."

"Is Tom okay?" Piper's fingers touched the lips of her open jaw. Nico realized that it has been years since he last saw Piper, but looking at her now, it's hard to believe she had even aged. Her hair was still the same chocolate brown color. Her face still looked young and alive, as if she was still in her thirties. Nico wondered if that was an effect of being Aphrodite's daughter or that of an A-List celebrity.

"Fine" Nico said "For now. The Final Prophecy... I think it's starting."

"Final?" Piper asked "Nico what-"

"We've hid this from you for too long" Nico admitted "It's time you knew the truth about everything"

* * *

Will was never a jealous boyfriend, but he was definitely a jealous fiance.

After the disaster Jackson-Chase wedding ceremony, everyone skipped the reception, for the sake of Annabeth. Hazel, being the sweetheart she is, invited Annabeth and Luke back to her place in New Rome. From the amount of bags Annabeth took with her, she wasn't going to be back in New Athens for a while.

Nico kept a close eye on Piper and Jason. He overheard them fighting after the wedding, then she stormed out of the Big House and found her way back to California. Nico was hesitant about checking on Jason afterwards. He knew he still needed time.

At night, Will and Nico decided to crash at the Big House together. Most of the time, they kept the tradition of staying in their own cabins, but after today they felt like they needed to be together.

"Hey" Nico broke the silence as Will was getting into bed. None of them spoke a word about anything since the ceremony. Nico could still feel his heart trying to leap out of his chest when Will took his hand and whispered to him _It's going to be us next up there_. There was no explanation why it made him so jittery and nervous. He was the one to propose to Will. He wanted this, so why is here a part of him that keeps urging him to run while he still can?

"So, I've been thinking" Nico continued. Will stopped messing with the pillows and sat on the bed, listening to him intently "The whole thing with Percy. Aphrodite had said that this might involve my dad... ghosts at sea and all that."

Will knit his dark brown eyebrows, he began to study Nico more.

"I think he might need my help out there" Nico admitted.

"What are you saying?" Will asked him, though it looked like he already knew the answer to that question.

"I'm saying," Nico replied "I think I'll be sailing with Percy, doing whatever to help with what he's supposed to do out there"

"Is-" Will hesitated, his voice breaking "Is this because of your old crush?"

"No!" Nico exclaimed, suddenly feeling defensive "I haven't had feelings for him since before we dated. I'm doing this because he's my friend. Annabeth's my friend. They need me."

"I need you too," Will stood, raising his voice "Have you thought about that? You made that oath to Jason, and now you're ready to throw twelve years of your life for Percy, but what you don't realize is that _I_ need you more than _they_ do!"

"Why?" Nico's voice broke, a lump in his throat formed "Why do you need me?"

"Because I love you, you stupid lord of darkness!"

"Then come with me" Nico said "Percy's your friend too."

Will sat back down on the bed. Nico was afraid he'd said the wrong thing, and might have jeopardized the best thing that has happened to him since Bianca. It's not that Nico owed Jason or Percy anything, but he somehow felt obligated to help. The three of them always shared that unspoken bond of the sons of the Big Three. All three of them weren't supposed to exist. In a weird way, Nico thought of Jason and Percy as more like his brothers than his friends, and Nico wasn't ready to lose another sibling.

Will lowered his head and began twisting the skull ring on his finger, the way Nico always did when he was in deep thought.

"Okay" Will sighed "Let's go on a crazy and deadly adventure"

Nico cracked a smile "That's the spirit."

"But" Will interrupted "You have to promise me something first."

"Anything" Nico agreed.

"Marry me the next chance we get"


	33. The Old Man's Prophecy

In a flash, Percy unsheathed Riptide. The bronze blade illuminated the sea floor which made him catch his breath. More hoards of sea monsters have gathered in one place than he'd ever seen before. Percy caught a glimpse of several old enemies here and there, most of whom he wasn't too excited about meeting again.

"Polybotes" Percy announced "Third time's a charm, huh? I beat you twice, what makes you think you stand a chance?"

"Percy Jackson" the giant laughed "Not the son of Poseidon I was expecting to meet tonight, but no matter. I will still crush you"

"You won't be crushing anyone tonight" Percy said with confidence.

The giant laughed again "Oh yeah? You and what god?"

"I've made lots of friends since I last met you"

"Aphros and Bythos!" Percy exclaimed "My friends told me about you guys! And this must be Camp Fish Blood"

"Yes, yes" Bythos waved him off "We remember your friends, Hazel, Frank and that scrawny one"

"But," Aphros continued "We haven't had a son of Poseidon among us in centuries, and we will not have one now!"

"What's wrong with children of Poseidon?" Percy asked.

"Undersea politics." Aphros said, as if that explained everything.

"I've been hearing that a lot lately" Percy snapped "What in the Styx does that mean?"

"Percy Jackson," Bythos said in a tone that reminded him of his old teacher, Chiron. Maybe they really were brothers. "Sea creatures are... possessive, you could say. We don't like when our valuables, our possessions, or even our power threatened. Your father is the king of the sea, but not everyone abides by his laws."

"What does that mean?" Percy asked.

"The sea is not like the earth." Aphros explained "There are so many species that its hard for everyone to follow one set of rules. We coexist in peace, and Posedion helps enforce that peace as much as he can, but we are very territorial of our spaces. Merpeople don't cross into cyclopes territory. Smaller fish stay far away from dolphins' land. And _we_ don't really share this camp with Poseidon."

"But why?" Percy said "We would fit in great"

"Poseidon is not a sea creature, he's an Olympian." Bythos answered "His children should be trained with other Olympians children. Here, only true children of the sea are trained, most of whom, have fish tails." He gestured at Percy's legs as though they were some sort of deformity.

"So..." Percy lowered his head "You guys are not helping me"

"We can show you to our oracle" Aphros said.

"Aphros!" Bythos chided his brother.

"What?!" Aphros said "The kid just got cursed. We can't give him just a little prophecy? His quest does affect us!"

"I guess you are right." Bythos agreed "But one prophecy and you're out of here kid"

Percy did like the sound of some brownies, but he wasn't so sure about another prophecy. Ever since he was sent here, he wanted to avoid having to interpret the final prophecy in his own words. He only kept thinking about the first line about the cursed destroyer, but he quickly put the thoughts aside.

"You guys have an oracle of Delphi down here too?"

"Something like that" Aphros said.

Percy was led by the two fish centaurs through the grounds of the camp. He tried not to stare too long, in fear he might get attached. The pearl tiled roofs that glittered in the very dim sunlight. The gardens of kelp filled with coral and sea anemones. Hippocampi grazing fields of yellow and green seaweed about fifteen feet high. The team of Cyclopes tinkering on a building, which made Percy homesick for his brother Tyson. Merheroes of all tail colors were swimming through the streets, hanging out in the courtyards, and practicing combat with tridents and swords in the arena.

Percy didn't notice the two brothers had stopped until he bumped Bythos in his tail.

They stood under another pearl covered building colored in blue. It didn't look much different in style than any other the other buildings, but it was slightly bigger. Percy was instructed to enter the doors and with that, the two fish centaurs galloped back to their teacher duties.

Percy entered to find himself in a regular living room. Two large couches with recliners were on two side of the wall, pointed to a TV set, making Percy wonder how undersea creatures got cable.

"Percy Jackson" The man on the recliners got up and faced him. He was old, probably in his sixties or seventies, with a white beard that trailed to his chest. He could've passed for any mortal grandpa except for the giant fish tail behind him. "It's an honor to finally meet you"

"Who are you?" Percy said, slowly reaching for Riptide in his pocket.

"I am Glaucas, oracle of the sea" He spread his hands "And I have a prophecy for you"

Percy tried to think of the name. He vaguely remember a story about a Glaucas who has was turned into a merman, but he wasn't sure if this old man was the same guy.

"I love prophecies" Percy said "Bring it"

Glaucas closed his eyes in concentration, and when he opened them, they glowed in pure white.

" _To the pirate's island you shall travel,_  
 _The sea's intentions shall unravel._  
 _Together, the sisters raise_  
 _You can only cause delays_  
 _But first become one without love,_  
 _And form the union of the dove._  
 _The king and the healer go back_  
 _In fear of the monsters that will track_ "

Upon finishing his prophecy, Glaucas closed his white eyes, and when he opened them, they returned to their brown color.

"Wait" Percy said "What does that mean? Without love? And raise what?"

"I'm afraid I don't know, hero" Glaucas replied "I am only a messenger of prophecies, not an interpreter"

For years, Percy had to live with vague death prophecies like that, and be tortured with not knowing what they meant. He really hated that.

"The pirates island..." Percy repeated the line of the prophecy "Any idea where that could be?"

"I fear you already know the answer to that question" Glaucas said. Percy was starting to hate the old guy.

"Great..." Percy muttered. "Thanks for the riddles, gotta go"

"I understand what you are going through" Glaucas said as Percy reached the door. "I, too, was forced to a life at sea against my will."

"You're cursed?" Percy asked.

"By my own foolishness" Glaucas said "I sought out a forbidden plant, property of Helios, and ingested them. For my punishment, I was turned into an immortal cursed to a life at sea, away from my wife and kids. Oceanus and his wife took pity on me" Glaucas said "They became my patron titans, and I was taught the gift of prophecy"

Percy didn't say anything. It was weird that the old guy had such a similar story to him, but Percy was still determined to return home. He wasn't going to end up a old man, stuck in an underwater living room.

"Thanks," Percy said "But I'm going to find a way to break _my_ curse"

"The sea is a cruel being, Percy Jackson" Glaucas said "When I learned of my wife and children's death, my grief and heartache was ten times as painful as it should've been on land. I should have done what that boy Davy Jones did and carved my own heart out. Bearing that pain was the hardest thing I have ever done"

This made Percy think about his own wife and kids, who are going to be waiting for him for the next twelve years. He won't get to experience being a father to any of his children, nor experience how it feels to be married to Annabeth. For the longest time, Percy had thought that Tartarus was the hardest thing he's ever done. He always thought that it was his ticket to retirement from the gods' madness, but now he realized that there is no escaping a demigod's life.

He thanked the old man for the advice and found a way to navigate out of the camp through the fields of kelp.

Percy found himself on an empty sea floor with nothing but blue whales swimming in the bright rays of the afternoon sun. From the fold of his pockets, Percy brought out a golden drachma when he saw the small rainbow ray forming in the underwater sunlight, and decided to contact the smartest person he knew to help with Glaucas' prophecy.

"O Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering." Percy said, after throwing the coin "Show me Annabeth Chase"

Ripples and light rays formed from within the rainbow, but they started bubbling and reacting with the water in a weird way. Percy wondered if that was an effect of the water.

The rainbow spat out the drachma, which landed on the sand. "Sorry, that call is forbidden."

Percy tried to keep his anger at bay. He may have had to live away from his family, but not seeing them was, in fact, torture. He felt a slight pinch in his heart when he thought about Luke having to live without a father, just like he did when he was growing up. This may be Percy's curse, but Luke would be suffering more than him.

Percy tried to ignore his heart, and picked up the golden drachma. He thought about the next most knowledgeable person he knew and threw the coin, hoping Poseidon hasn't forbade all his calls to land.

"O Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering. Show me Nico Di Angelo"

This time, the magic of the rainbow worked as normally as it did above water. The colors formed the image of Nico, who was at the Big House, which was weird since he should be teaching swordsmanship at this time of day.

"Hey Nico" Percy said, which startled the son of Hades.

"Percy," Nico got over his shock "How are you holding up?"

"Oh, you know, same old" Percy explained to Nico the entire story from his dad's palace to camp to Glaucas' prophecy. He didn't say anything about the old man's advice. Percy felt like his aching heart was his own problem to bear. "Do you have any idea what or where the Pirate's Island is?"

Nico stroked the layer of scruff on his chin. He was wearing an orange camp shirt and his hair was tied man bun style, which showed his black eyes, deep in thought.

"Reyna!" Nico snapped his fingers "She told me she lived on an island ruled by pirates"

Percy recalled one of his earliest adventures, when he and Annabeth managed to turn an entire cage of guinea pigs into pirates. Percy understood from Reyna and Hylla that Blackbeard and his crew took over Circe's Island.

"Circe's Island." Percy replied "It's in the sea of monsters. I wonder if I can swim there without getting killed"

"Take the Clashing Rocks path" Nico told him "I feel like you can withstand its strong current"

"Thanks Nico" Percy was about to wave off the call when Nico screamed "Wait! You said the prophecy mentioned a king and a healer?"

Percy nodded, though he didn't think much of that line. He assumed he'd have to face off an old king and find his healer or something. Percy didn't dwell on those lines too much.

"Will and I will meet you at Circe's Island" Nico said.

"What?"

"The king and the healer" Nico repeated the lines "I'm the ghost king and Will's a healer. We're meant to be on you quest"

"It said you go back" Percy remembered.

"I think that comes later." Nico said "I feel like you'll need us along for this."

Percy understood. A part of him was glad he didn't have to do this all alone. It was bad enough that he couldn't contact the person he waned to see most right now, but being surrounded by friends has always been a good remedy to his problems.

"See you on the island then" Percy said, waved off the connection.


	34. The Camp's Disasters

**[Just thought i would update yall on Jason and Annabeth before we get hella chapters of Percy]**

Jason tried to swallow down his worst fear.

Tom Grace unsaddled from his pegasus and advanced towards enemy lines, slashing and dashing through everyone that came in his way with his golden sword. His wavy blonde hair caught a puff of wind, making it ripple across his face.

Jason tried to take everything in, looking at his twenty year old son, praetor of Rome, leading the entire twelfth legion into battle. Jason always remembered his face constantly from the dreams, but somehow seeing him now made it seem very real. For the first time in his life, Jason realized that he was was a father.

Unfortunately, that wasn't going to last long.

"Jason, are you okay?" Calypso grasped his shoulder, sending Jason back to the real world.

"Calypso," Jason muttered, doubting if she could hear him over the roars and wails of battle "The prophecy... it's started"

* * *

"You guys are leaving?" Jason asked Will and Nico, who had their backpacks strapped on their shoulders. Nico wore his orange camp staff T-shirt, with an aviator jacket and a sword strapped around his waist. Will wore the same T-shirt with a beige travelling jacket, jeans and a knife.

"We don't know how long we're going to be gone" Nico answered. "We rented a car to drive all the way down to Florida, then we'll shadow travel from there to Circe's Island."

"What about camp?" Jason asked. Will and Nico shared a look like they had already thought about the answer to this question.

"We were going to ask you to take over while we're gone" Will grimaced.

"Me?" Jason gestured to himself in disbelief "But I- I'm- I-"

Jason found himself out of excuses. Whenever Nico and Will tried to ask him to help out at camp, he always said that they didn't need him, which was true at the time. Jason didn't want their pity, or for them to take time out of their busy schedules to train him on how to be an extra camp director.

Jason nodded, accepting his task, and with that Will hugged him.

"Take care of yourselves" Jason let go of Will "I'll keep camp running as smoothly as I can"

"I don't think Camp Half Blood can do smooth" Nico grinned "But you'll be fine, Grace"

Nico patted Jason on his shoulder, then took Will's hand in his. Will nodded at Jason one last time and together they left.

* * *

The next morning, Jason put on his new camp staff shirt and called for a camp counselor meeting. Jason wasn't exactly experienced as any sort of authority figure for Camp Half Blood. He had only been a camper here for a couple of years, and he was definitely not experienced enough to run the whole place by himself.

Jason entered the living room to set up the ping pong table for the meeting. He started reminiscing about his days as the Zeus cabin head counselor, aching for those days. It had seemed so long ago when Leo helped the Stoll brothers prank everyone in sight, when Percy had reunited with Grover after months of him being missing... or when him and Piper used to date.

Before Jason could dwell on his heartbreak any longer, swarms of young campers opened the main doors and filed into their designated seats. Jason recognized Harley, Alexander and Julian, but he didn't know any of the other kids.

Jason asked them to introduce themselves first, but he found out that was useless. There were so many of them that the names blended together after a while. Halfway through, Mr. D made an appearance, called Jason by "Joshua" and made a comment about how the meeting is useless.

"So from my understanding," Jason said "Nico and Will lay out the structure of the day-to-day events, make sure everything is running smoothly. I'm obviously new at this, so I'm going to be asking you guys for advice constantly, so I'm here to ask what do you want from me as new activities director?"

"More s'mores for the camp fire" Dana, daughter of Kym said. Jason brought out his notepad and jotted her suggestion down.

"Definitely more war games with the Romans! We need to show those guys who's the better camp." Victor, son of Nike announced.

"Screw the Romans" the Ares head counselor argued "Let's bring back chariot races, death races and make capture the flag a biweekly event"

"Less chores!" Hermes head counselor, Brad, exclaimed "We want more time to, uh, practice stuff"

Jason got all the campers' suggestions down, and proceeded to wrap up the meeting. He sent everyone on their way to their regular daily events, determined to take heed of everyone's comments onto making camp more efficient.

* * *

Two weeks later, Jason regretted all of his decisions.

First, doing weekly cabin inspections instead of daily blew up in Jason's face. Literally. When he was helping Cecilia, daughter of Demeter, with the Hephaestus cabin inspections, the litters of chemical vials in one of the bunks had gotten mixed up and caused an explosion.

Second, after the chariot races, the three-legged death races and the two capture the flag games, everyone was too exhausted to join in on the extra s'mores Jason got for the camp fire sing along. Plus, breakfast had to be postponed everyday since all campers needed the extra time to rest, messing up the whole day-to-day schedule.

Everyone sleeping wasn't also the problem with delays in schedule. When everyone was finally awake, fights broke out all over the place. It had seemed that when Jason listened to the head counselors' wishes, the other campers were dueling and placing curses on each other to get their "suggestions" all the way to Jason.

The whole place was absolute chaos, and Jason couldn't control of any of it. Mr. D was no help, and the head counselors were too busy fighting among themselves to hold a meeting, so Jason had to resort to making a call to the person that knew more about camp than anybody else.

"Annabeth," Jason cried over the Iris message "I know this is not the best time with you being pregnant and all, but I need you here. Camp is blowing apart."

In a couple of hours, she had agreed to leave Luke in the care of Hazel and Frank and run to Jason's aid. When she joined him at the canoe lake, he was breaking up a fight between three daughters of Aphrodite and four children of Hebe. The Aphrodite kids have placed on what they call the sweetie curse on the Hebe cabin after they wanted to host a beauty contest between the campers. Both of them got too full of themselves before pitching the idea to Jason.

"Okay now, Regina" One of the Hebe campers said "If you don't lift up the curse, we'll have to place one on you"

"And what?" Regina laughed "Make us eternally youthful? Yes please!"

"Sweetie, remove the curse or-" A daughter of Hebe tried to talk to Regina but every time he started a sentence, she had to address her as "Sweetie", which immediately made her blush and hide away in the folds of her jacket.

"Remove the curse" Annabeth's voice boomed from behind Jason "Or Aphrodite gets last in the shower schedule."

Mumbling came from the Aphrodite kids, but they obliged. Jason stared dumbfounded at Annabeth. She wore jeans and a UNR sweatshirt, with her blonde curls tied back in a ponytail.

The Aphrodite campers agreed to lift the curse in exchange for the shower times, then they came to an understanding with Annabeth that there would be no beauty contest at camp.

"Okay," Jason said after the campers scrammed "How did you do that?"

"You gotta have leverage" Annabeth said "I thought you were a natural leader, what happened?"

"This camp happened!" Jason complained "When I was praetor of the Twelfth legion, I never came across these kinds of problems. We had a senate, and every new event had to go through an election process before it's approved."

"Yeah, well" Annabeth said "In here, _you're_ the election process that's supposed to stop dumb teenagers from destroying Half Blood Hill. You can't please everybody."

"Yeah, kinda figured that one out"

"Good." Annabeth replied "Now, let's go put out all the fires and restore this place to its natural order."

After the sing along that night, Jason and Annabeth both collapsed on the bed in the Big House's master bedroom, trying hard to catch their breaths.

Amazingly, Annabeth had took charge of the whole situation. She cancelled the chariot races and the second capture the flag game on Wednesdays. She succeeded in restoring peace and put out all the fires (figurative and literal), curses and fights before dinnertime.

"Annabeth Chase," Jason said "You are a superhero."

She looked at him with her deep grey eyes, and flustered a smile. It was as if this was the first smile she's had in days, like her facial muscles weren't used to such a weird emotion. Jason thought about his own face, and wondered if it had been worse at delivering smiles than Annabeth.

"Hey," turned to his side, to face Annabeth fully "How are you?"

"How are _you_?" Annabeth raised her eyebrow.

"Fair enough." Jason understood "New question: Are you going to be okay?"

"I hope so" Annabeth turned and faced him "I want to believe this is going to be over soon"

"It's Percy." Jason said "If anyone can do the impossible, it's him."

Annabeth was quite for a minute, like she was doubting if that was really true.

"Are _you_ going to be okay?" She asked.

"I want to believe this is going to be over soon too" Jason closed his eyes and remembered his dream of Piper and Tom, and how badly he wanted to join them. At the back of Jason's mind, he believed that someday he will, no matter how many apocalypses that would start.

"It will be" Annabeth insisted "We have to have faith until that day comes"

Jason stared into Annabeth's eyes from a minute, and somehow he saw his own misery and pain reflected. He felt every ounce of heartache she did, of wanting to see her family together but not being able to for the sake of the greater good. Jason didn't understand why Poseidon had cursed Percy and kept him away from his family, but he felt as though the Final prophecy has something to do with it.

"It's going to be a heck of a long time till then" Jason said

"Twelve years..." Annabeth whispered. A puddle of water formed in her stormy grey eyes.

"It's going to be okay" Jason said, trying to convince himself more than her. "Look, why don't you come live here?"

"What?"

"I obviously need you here" Jason noted "And Luke would have a great home. I'll help you take care of your family while Percy's gone"

"Jason..." Annabeth's voice trailed off.

"No I'm serious." Jason insisted "You can't take care of a newborn while pregnant. Leo and Calypso live all the way down in Texas. Hazel and Frank got married a couple of months ago. Grover, Peter and Juniper are doing their family thing. I'm the only person who has the time to help you."

Annabeth shifted uncomfortably and pulled her blanket closer to her face. Jason extended his arm and tucked her in his embrace. He felt her warmth and tasted her smell of cinnamon, which sent a chill up Jason's spine because the smell vaguely reminded him of Piper.

"Okay" Annabeth raised her eyes to meet his "But just because you need me, Grace."

"You wish, Chase." Jason hugged her tighter, taking one more whiff of the familiar, painful smell of cinnamon.


	35. The Duel

The water around Polybotes seemed to hiss. It looked like clouds of dark viscous fluid– poison, that curled from the giant's blue skin. His green breastplate was fashioned to resemble a cluster of open hungry mouths. In his hands was a trident and a weighted net. He looked exactly as Percy remembered years ago, when he battled him at Camp Jupiter and again in Athens.

"Friends?" Polybotes asked "Your god friends are a little incapacitated at the moment."

Percy took a moment to think about what that meant. There was a huge fight going on here, and the fact that he heard Annabeth's voice spoke in his mind was a sign that he was supposed to be here, regardless of what his curse would do to him, but where were the gods?

"What did you do to the gods?" Percy uncapped Riptide and Percy's fingers gripped the familiar hilt of the sword.

"Nothing to worry about, of course" Polybotes gave Percy a smirk, meaning that it is something he should definitely worry about.

Percy replied to that by a war cry, and he lunged himself at the giant, helplessly.

* * *

Percy spent his first night on a seaweed bed.

In the morning, he set course to the path of the Clashing Rocks. The ocean was going to provide him with the extra strength to cross, but the path itself was still dangerous, with the strong currents and well... clashing rocks. Percy was a fast swimmer by human standards, but by the living sea forms around him, he will need help.

Percy concentrated and tried to send out a telepathic message to the nearby sea creatures, seeing if anyone will respond. He would've appreciated having Blackjack, but he doubted his black pegasus will be very happy about flying over to the sea of monsters.

He stared into the dark sea floor of the Atlantic, and saw nothing coming to his aid. Percy heaved a sigh. Maybe Poseidon decided to forbid everyone to help him. He decided not to dwell too much and continue on to his quest.

By the time it took Percy to reach near the coast of Florida, he was exhausted. He had willed the water to aid his swimming which completely drained his energy. If he had to keep this up, there was no way he would survive the Clashing Rocks.

"Okay, dad" Percy muttered under his breath "I know I messed up, but I need your help around here."

Percy took a look around the sea floor again. Small fish were hovering about but no one paid any special attention to him.

"Come on Poseidon" Percy said aloud and closed his eyes "Please."

Percy opened his eyes and almost floated back onto the sea floor. In front of him, pure white eyes stared at him. A green scaly serpent-like creature with a bull snout and a white eyebrows and beard. It slowly opened its large mouth revealing sharp set of teeth. It's claws were as dark as the tuft of hair that floated in front of Percy's face. Percy took a look at the rest of the monster's enormous body. He was sure from the side it could've been mistaken for a dolphin or a whale because it was that large, except for the serpent-like tail where his body ended.

Percy's immediate instinct was to run away- or swim away, but his gut told him that it's okay.

"Hi" Percy squeaked.

 _Hello Perseus_. The creature spoke in Percy's mind. Its face didn't convey emotion but Percy could swear it hated speaking to him.

"Um," Percy said nervously, careful not to say anything that would get him eaten "What are you?"

 _A Perseus who doesn't know me._ He replied. _How peculiar._

Percy dwelled on that. Why was he so interested in his name? His full name, especially. Maybe this guy had heard about him and he had killed his great aunt's cousin or something. This tended to happen a lot to Percy.

Then suddenly, Percy realized why it dawned on Percy why this dragon-whale-snake-thing hated him so much.

"You're a cetus" Percy remembered "Perseus- the original one, was famous for using Medusa's head to turn you into stone... but how are you-"

 _Alive?_ The cetus replied. _Monsters always regenerate in Tartarus._

Percy thought about that. He'd never thought about what had happened to Auntie Em's statues. Of course the human ones had died on the spot, but maybe the monsters' essences found their way to the deep dark pit.

"If it's not too much to ask from you," Percy gulped. He was seriously terrified by the monster now, considering that he shared the name of the guy that killed him. "Could you give me a ride to the sea of monsters?"

 _Hmph_. The cetus exhaled. _Climb aboard_.

Percy bowed to him and slowly saddled the big guy. Before he could secure himself above his body, the cetus galloped towards the general direction of the Bermuda triangle.

Swimming through the Clashing Rocks alone? Impossible. Swimming through it on a hundred foot long Cetus? Piece of freaking cake. The Clashing Rocks waters were strong enough to send even a son of Poseidon to his death. The currents and the undertow were uncontrollable and hard to navigate, but Cetus just slithered through it all, making it look like a stroll in the park.

When the waters started to calm down, the cetus ordered Percy to get off.

"Thank you" Percy bowed again to the old serpent, and with that it went back to wherever it came from. Percy focused and using his nautical senses, he knew that that he was in the heart of the sea of monsters. Land was about two miles north of where he stood. The water was no longer blue, but now it looked more like a glitter of brilliant green, like Hydra acid.

Percy swam to the surface, and sure enough, there was a line of blue and brown in the distance. He took a look at the direction of sunlight and noticed it almost setting in the horizon, meaning that Percy will have to find somewhere to camp before he could rendezvous with Nico and Will and figure out what they need to do at the sea of monsters. Another minute of swimming and he could make out an island with a small mountain in the center, a beach dotted with palm trees, and a harbor filled with boats. The once white buildings that stood on the beach and the mountain were nowhere to be found, but he could always recognize the island where he sailed with Annabeth and got turned into a guinea pig.

As if on cue, Percy felt another pinch in his heart. It temporarily slowed his swimming, but before Percy could recover from its effect, he felt his body float out of the water. Suddenly, he was hovering over the green sea of monsters.

"Tell me, me mates" A thick voice bellowed "Be that the scallywag who stole me vessel?"

"Arghhh!" Mens' voices roared in agreement. Percy looked up and saw himself dangling from a tight rope. He twirled himself to face the attackers and suddenly he had a moment of deja vu.

Rows of ugly old men stood smiling and grinning with an assortment of weapons in their hands. In their lead, a man stood out. Percy could remember Annabeth addressing him by a name, but what was it? _Grey-mustache? White-eyebrows?_ Percy thought. _No, Blackbeard!_

He wore a long black robe over a white-ish pirate shirt. In his hand, a long sword glistened in the sunlight, and his grin revealed teeth that were almost as black as the floppy hat he was wearing. His boots were planted on the prow of a large modern sailboat.

"Where's me vessel, lad?" Blackbeard demanded, brandishing his sword in Percy's face.

"Well," Percy gulped, trying to think of an escape plan "It got destroyed by Polyphemus"

"ARGHHH!" Blackbeard's anger was projected on a rope. He cut it and somehow caused Percy to land in the middle of old smelly pirates that immediately held him by his arms. Blackbeard advanced forward and held his sword at Percy's neck.

"Hey, it was your sister's fault, don't blame me for it." Percy protested.

"Me sister?" Blackbeard paused mid chop-your-head-off swing.

"Half sister if you want to get all technical" Percy said, trying to buy himself some time.

"Why'd me sister destroy me vessel?" Blackbeard seemed distracted from wanting to kill Percy. "Was she the smart lass ye were with?"

"No, that's Annabeth. Clarisse got The Queen Anne's Revenge destroyed because she kept taunting Polyphemus." Blackbeard blinked, then seemed to process the information. Hopefully, he was just as thick-headed as every Ares kid Percy had met.

Percy looked around. Rows of modern ships docked on the port. Hopefully, if the pirates decide to take him in as prisoner, he would be chained somewhere at sea because he did not want to choke to death on land.

"Look," Percy continued "I failed to introduce myself last time. I'm Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon." He willed four streams of water to flow up the sides of the yacht to prove his point. The two men holding him immediately let go in fear.

"Aye" Blackbeard stroked his beard "If ye be a son of the sea god, why didn't ye kill the witch?"

"The witch?" Percy raised his eyebrow "You mean Circe? I thought _you_ killed her."

"Me mates couldn't catch her." Blackbeard replied "She escaped from this place, and ye stole me ship, so we couldn't leave this bloody place"

"You're standing on a sailboat" Percy pointed out.

"Tis no ship!" Blackbeard snapped "My Queen Anne's Revenge, now that be a ship!"

Percy thought about pushing his luck with Poseidon and asking him for a vessel, but somehow he knew that his dad wasn't going to be so helpful. He looked back at the horizon and saw that the sun was almost gone. Nico and Will would be here any minute and Percy didn't want them to be faced by a bunch of pirates.

"Hylla and Reyna," Percy remembered "You held them captive"

"Aye." Blackbeard agreed "The spawns of the war goddess. They escaped me men decades ago."

Blackbeard glared at two of his men, who still looked guilty about letting two teenagers escape the most feared pirate of all time.

"Well," Percy stalled "I don't know if you've heard but one of them ended up being a queen."

"A queen?" One of the crew stared at Percy in disbelief.

"Yeah, and the other became a goddess. I attended her wedding to Apollo myself."

Murmurs came from the crew members, most of them trying to figure out who Apollo is.

"They're good friends of mine," Percy continued "And trust me when I tell you, you don't want to make an enemy of me."

The crew members took heed of Percy's words and began backing away from him. Meanwhile Percy had to think of a better plan than to swim away from the island.

"He be lyin', ye barnacle bottomed swines" Blackbeard screamed at them "I'll cut out yer tongues and feed them to the sharks if ye don't seize him."

His warning had no effect because his men were still in shock about what he told them about Hylla and Reyna.

"Looks like your men are scared of me" Percy said "Why don't we battle it out ourselves. Demigod to demigod"

"And what be the prize?" Blackbeard asked.

"If you win," Percy said "You can kill me for stealing The Queen Anne's Revenge. If I win, you and your crew will be mine."

Blackbeard glowered at Percy for a few seconds, then finally he drew his sword and declared the challenge accepted. Percy reached into the folds of his pockets and brought out his old friend, Riptide. He uncapped the pen, springing the blade to its full size and lashed out at the captain. The sword should have gone straight through Blackbeard's chest, but the pirate was fast. He dodged and parried as the crew members backed up, giving their captain room to battle.

Their blades flashed and rang. Suddenly, Percy swings Riptide at Blackbeard's head. The pirate ducks it, comes up wide-eyed. Percy slams his sword across Blackbeard's, disarming him. Before the winner could be declared, Blackbeard quickly unsheathes another sword from the waist of of one of his men that surrounded him.

"You can't do that." Percy intercepted the blow.

"Pirate." Blackbeard explained and delivered another slash at Percy.

Percy tried to disarm Blackbeard again. He delivered a move with Riptide that sent the pirate's sword flying in the air. Percy grabbed it in his free arm and stabbed his own sword into Blackbeard's left hand, suspending it up the main mast. He screamed in agony, but the pain didn't affect him much. He was still quick, twisting and dodging Percy's attempts to disarm his other hand.

Blackbeard grabbed the sword that held his left hand, hoisted himself up, and kicked with his feet, knocking Percy back. Blackbeard uses his full weight to yank the sword from the mast and threw it at Percy.

The hilt of the sword hit Percy's wrist directly, causing Riptide to fly across the ship's floor. Before Percy could regain his sword, Blackbeard aimed his pistol directly between Percy's eyes.

"I win, son of Poseidon" Blackbeard cocked his pistol and Percy closed his eyes, accepting his fate. Even if he managed to get Riptide back in his hand, Blackbeard would still fire at him within the blink of an eye.

Percy felt the sea rocking the small ship back and forth. With Percy's eyes closed, his brain could concentrate on the sea better. Even though he wasn't even touching the water, it somehow assured him of his strength and filled him with a sense of courage.

He wasn't going to die in his father's domain, much less by a pirate.

Percy willed the sea beneath him to obey, and another stream of water sprang to life, knocking down Blackbeard's pistol from his hand. Percy ran to Riptide that was near the railing, and quickly pushed the blade at Blackbeard's neck, locking him into defeat.

"No, I win" Percy said.

"Aye, Captain Jackson." Blackbeard lowered his head, acknowledging Percy's victory. "Fought like a true pirate."

"I'm not a pirate" Percy let go of the former captain "I'm just a son of the sea."

Percy turned and placed his hand on the railing, eyeing the horizon. The sun was a few seconds away from setting and the sea of monsters was getting darker and more creepy.

"Circe" Percy turned around to face the pirates again "Where did she go?"

"We dunno, captain" A short man in tattered clothes replied. It felt weird for Percy to be addressed as captain.

"Last we captured her on this bloody island was a decade and a half ago" Blackbeard said "She kept saying Earth was dead and her sisters need her."

"Decade and a half" Percy repeated "That's fifteen years."

"Aye" Blackbeard nodded.

Fifteen years ago was the first year after the defeat of Gaea, when the gods reopened the gates of Olympus. Could it be that the primordial gods started recruiting their army that long ago? And if that was true, how big is it now? and how big is it going to be when it finally strikes wherever it was supposed to strike?

 _The abyss marches to the demigods' home_. The lines of the final prophecy rang in Percy's ears. If one thing was clear, the fight would happen at one of the camps, and it would be brutal.

Percy's happy thoughts were cut short by a thump on the main deck. He turned his eyes to where the sound came from and saw two of his best friends standing among a bunch of smelly dudes. Nico and Will were hand in hand, each wearing a completely different spectrum of color. Will shone brightly among the dark colored men, while Nico blended perfectly with the shadow he just came from.

"I got you" Will intercepted Nico's falling body in his arms. Percy ran to help out the son of Apollo carry Nico's unconscious body.

"Is there anywhere to lay him down?" Percy asked.

"Below deck" A pirate answered.

Percy helped Will transport him one flight of stairs down where there was a room big enough for Will and Nico to crash. They placed Nico on the queen sized bed and Will reached into his backpack to bring out his huge supply of ambrosia. He stuffed one in Nico's mouth and in a few minutes, Nico was groaning and moaning.

"He'll be fine" Will exhaled, though it sounded like he was comforting himself more than anyone else.

"Glad you guys made it" Percy said, resisting the urge to immediately ask about Annabeth and Luke.

Slowly, Nico became conscious enough for Percy to tell his story since their last Iris message, cetus, Blackbeard and the whole Circe issue.

"So we need an old sailing vessel" Nico concluded.

Percy hated asking Poseidon so soon, especially twice in the same day, but a part of him told him that if he asked this time, he'll be heard. He didn't know where that feeling had come from, but he decided to listen.

 _Dad,_ Percy prayed _I'm sorry to ask twice but could you place give me a ship. I can't do this quest without one._

Nothing happened. Percy sighed and turned back around to Will and Nico and began making small talk, talking about camp and whatnot. In a matter of minutes, all three of them were fast asleep on the bed.

They were waken up by the sound of a man yelling "Shiver me timbers! It's The Queen!"

Percy got up and exchanged a look with Will and Nico, who looked just as clueless as he was. Nico was strong enough to walk again, and so they ran up to the main deck. The crew of pirates were hanging down from the main mast, and slumped over the railing, staring dead ahead at something in the sea.

"What's going on?" Will asked one of the crew members.

"It's our ship. She's returned!"

Percy was still confused. He saw the Queen Anne's Revenge get destroyed years ago. There was no way it was salvaged, let alone, sailing towards him without a crew. He pushed his way through the crowds, and in the far distance he saw a huge silhouette of a three masted ship, docked in the middle of the green sea.

Percy stood over the railing to get a better view, but the sun still blocked his vision, so he jumped over the side of the boat and swam with amazing speed towards where the ship was. He climbed up the chains of the anchor and found himself on the familiar main deck of the first ship he'd ever sailed.

Percy closed his eyes and concentrated on the waves lapping against the hull, the ocean currents, the winds ruffling through his hair. Everything suddenly, felt right and he felt right at home.

"Mizzenmast!" Percy closed his eyes and willed the ship to obey him like before. Immediately, the air filled with whistling sounds of ropes being snapped taut, canvases unfurling, and wooden pulleys creaking.

Percy made the mistake of opening his eyes, as if wanting to see the same surprised gaze on Annabeth's face again. He remembered her wide grey eyes staring at him in disbelief, her blonde hair down swaying in the wind. It was short after the very first moment when he realized how beautiful she really was.

The memories forced Percy's heart to ache again, but this time it wasn't so subtle. Percy's knees buckled, sending him to the wooden floors. He groaned in pain, his heart raced. All he could see in front of him is Annabeth's face and the dark spots dancing around her. He tried to will himself not to collapse, but the shooting pain made it impossible to concentrate.

Right when he started feeling his consciousness slip away, the pain subsided. Percy could feel strength surging back into his body. He didn't understand why that episode only lasted for such a short time, but he didn't want to dwell on it too much in fear that he'd suffer from one again.

He proceeded to will the sails to rise and the rudder to turn, moving the ship into Circe's island. Percy used this time alone to take a long look at his own chest and wondered how these episodes might cause problems in the future.


	36. The Goddess in Baltimore

**[My first Will chapter, just because i love that ray of sunshine so much and he deserves more attention than what he got in Rick's books. Sorry about posting less, it's just college and all. I'll keep the chapters coming, just more slowly than before :/]**

"Get me some gauze!" A young girl shouted over the moans and groans of wounded demigods. Satyrs and nymphs were running all over the place, trying as much as they can to bandage bleeding guts and fix up broken bones using nature magic.

"Bite on this" Will stuffed a belt into Jake Mason's mouth "It's going to hurt"

Will touched Jake's dislocated shoulder, feeling around for the humeral head and socket. In one swift motion, he grabbed the bone and placed it back into it's original spot. Afterwards, Jake's screams were loud enough to be heard all over camp.

"You'll be fine," Will comforted him "Just take some unicorn drought."

He left Jake to his bed in the field infirmary. He took a look outside, to the explosions and fires that blazed outside, praying that none of those he loved would be hurt. Sometimes he wished he wasn't just a healer, that he could be of help out there where it counts.

* * *

Will twisted his skull ring on his finger. It's become a habit of his whenever he got nervous, and ever since he left camp, he couldn't stop touching it. It wasn't that he was nervous about Nico's shadow travel... Will learned how to heal him from that pretty well over the years, but something bothered Will about Nico lately. He wasn't the same guy that he'd known, but became rather more reserved and to himself. Whenever Will tried to talk to him, he'd just close himself off. It's true that Nico wasn't the most open person, but Will could feel something wrong with him.

He stood over the railing next to Nico, watching The Queen Anne's Revenge sail through the Sea of Monsters. Will placed his hand over Nico's, and he felt his fiance flinch at the touch of his warm fingers.

They stood there in silence for the entire time it took Percy to get the ship close enough for everyone to board. Percy ordered Blackbeard to start sailing them out of the sea of monsters and the pirates immediately took their positions like they had done this a million times. Will and Nico stood there awkwardly at the main deck, unsure of what to do.

"Okay," Percy approached them "Where are we going exactly?"

"Well, we went to the pirates' island" Nico pointed out "We found out that the seas' intentions involve Circe so we track her down"

"How do you track down an immortal witch?" Will asked.

"We know that she's with her sisters," Percy said "Any idea who that might be?"

"Circe is a daughter of Hecate" Nico pointed out "And she had a lot of powerful daughters."

"So we go to cabin twenty and ask the kids there if they know of anything?"

"Uh one problem." Percy raised his hand sarcastically "Cursed. Can't walk on land. All that good stuff."

"Right..." Nico exhaled "Do we know anymore daughters of Hecate lying around?"

"Hunters" Will pointed out. "They have to have at least one, or some of them lived long enough to _know_ Circe's sisters"

"That's great, Will" Nico hit Will's shoulder in agreement "I actually know where they are"

Nico walked off with Percy towards the helm, giving him directions to south of Virginia. Will went below deck to get himself settled. He set down his bow and quiver on a desk, then put his head to rest on the small bed.

Will had so many things on his mind, he thought he'd never sleep. But there was something peaceful about the rocking of the ship and the drone of the oars as they scooped through the ocean. Finally his eyelids got heavy, and he drifted off.

It seemed like only a few seconds had passed before he woke to one of the crew members announcing their arrival.

Will got to the main deck to see Percy and Nico in deep conversation. Neither of them notice him being there for a few moments. When they finally did, they explained to Will that they had made an Iris message to Thalia, and she's meeting them somewhere at the coast of Virginia beach.

Percy used his magical sailing abilities to get the ship to dock near the coast. Blackbeard ordered someone to take two rowboats that will escort the group of hunters from the coast to The Queen Anne's Revenge.

In no time, a group of silver-jacket-wearing teenagers scattered on the deck, keeping a distance from the pirates who did not hold back their gazes. In front of them, Thalia stepped forward, her hair was spiky black, with a silver tiara across her brow, looking like a super healthy fifteen year old, the same way she's looked since Will knew her.

"Percy," Thalia said "You owe me big time for making me step on a _pirate ship_ " She said the word with so much disgust, he could almost hear her trying not to throw up.

"Sorry" He replied "But we do need you."

Percy gave her the rundown about the whole situation, right down to Circe, and daughters of Hecate.

"Well, Josephine here is a daughter of Hecate" She gestured at one her fellow hunters. She was about fourteen, with broad shoulders and dark, well-sculpted arms stretched against the confines of a her silver jacket. Against the umber skin of her scalp, buzz-cut black hair held flakes of snow. If Thalia hadn't introduced her as a daughter of Hecate, he might have thought that Josephine was a daughter of Hephaestus.

"You know anything about a sister of Circe?" Nico asked

"Sorry," She said "Other than me and the kids at camp, I'm afraid I don't know. I've only been around for a hundred years, and to be frank, I'm not really into the whole magic side of my family."

"Jo is one of our best mechanics" Thalia explained "She uses her magic to make things like our tents."

"Though" Jo continued "If anyone can help you, seek out Panacea"

"Panic who?" Percy asked.

"No," Will interjected "Panacea, goddess of cures. I say her name in my hymns all the time, but what would she have to do with Hecate."

"Back in the day," Another hunter said, she had blonde hair braided to one side. She wore faded jeans and a silvery winter coat much like the other hunters. A white birch bow gleamed in her hand. "Most remedies were made of magic. It was known that Panacea was a student of Hecate's, and they became good friends. Seek her out in Baltimore, she should know what this is all about"

"Thanks Emmie" Thalia said. "So can my girls leave now?"

"Yeah, of course" Nico replied "Thanks Thalia."

"No problem" Thalia hugged Nico, Percy and then Will "If it's a healing goddess, that's gotta be all yours" Will nodded, accepting the task. It made sense that the healer of the crew would get to chat up with the goddess of healing.

At nightfall, Will decided to go downstairs to get some sleep before they docked in Chesapeake Bay. It wasn't like his presence on the ship right now was needed anyways. According to Percy, they were travelling at 29 knots and that they would arrive nearly at sundown.

"Hey Will" Percy caught up to him right before he stepped on the stairs.

"Percy, what's up?"

"I kind of have a medical question" Percy said, and he went on to explain his experience with the heart pains whenever he thought about Annabeth. Will's first instinct was to say _Aww_ , but he thought that would be insensitive.

"The closest medical thing I can think of is broken heart syndrome" Will said "But I'm willing to bet it's not that."

"Have you ever heard of someone taking their own heart out?" Percy asked.

"Sorry," Will shook his head "Medically speaking, it's impossible and I've never heard of any legend about someone doing that."

"The prophecy said to become one without love so that we can cause delays"

Percy lowered his head. It obviously looked like he has been dwelling over this for a long time. Will hated that he couldn't help out the poor man. It made sense that love would stand for heart, and if becoming without love is the equivalent of removing one's heart, then they'd need to find some answers.

"Hey, do me a favor" Percy said "Don't tell anyone about this."

"You got it" Will said, gripping Percy's shoulder. He gave him a half smile, and then left him to man the helm. Will descended down to his cabin. He laid down next to the snoring prince of darkness and drifted to a dreamless sleep.

He got woken again by crew members shouting "Land Ho". He changed into his travelling jacket, a white shirt and jeans, then proceeded to wake Nico while strapping his quiver of arrows onto his back.

The plan was that Nico and Will would go to the city to search for Panacea. Percy obviously would have to remain aboard the ship, so it was up to them to get the information they needed from the goddess. The Queen Anne's Revenge docked at Baltimore's inner harbor, right at the heart of the city.

Nico and Will got off the ship and started strolling through the streets. It was about seven in the morning on a Wednesday. People were rushing off to their jobs in the snow. Nico tucked himself in his jacket, while Will shivered in his. They had gotten so used to camp's magical borders protecting them from the extreme weathers that they forgot how the cold really felt like.

"Any idea where we're going?" Nico asked.

"Something tells me that a goddess of cures would be found at a hospital" Will ventured.

"Yeah," Nico said "But there's a billion of them"

Will took a glance at one of the buildings. It was a normal glass skyscraper located near the harbor, but Will took a special interest in the sign out front that read _John Hopkins Carey Business School_.

"There." Will pointed. "John Hopkins"

"A business school?" Nico narrowed his eyes.

"Think about it, what's in Baltimore that would attract Panacea?"

"The beautiful scenery" Nico said sarcastically.

"No," Will resisted the urge to smack him upside the head "John Hopkins is one of the nation's leading institutions in medical research. They help develop cures everyday."

"Makes sense," Nico agreed "Let's go."

Nico stopped a cab and gave the driver directions to John Hopkins Hospital. In a few minutes, the car stopped on North Broadway street, in front of a massive red building with a sign in front that read "Cancer Center". Nico paid the driver then both of them climbed up the stairs and entered through the glass doors.

Will and Nico avoided the reception desk and found their way to the elevators. The smell of iodoform filled the air, marking the distinct smell of hospitals. Men and women in wheel chairs were strolled by nurses.

Fortunately, when the elevator dinged, Nico and Will were the only two that entered the empty space.

"Where?" Will asked, gesturing to the red colored buttons.

Nico removed his hand from his pocket revealing a security key card. He swiped it on the card slot and a new white button labeled "Basement" revealed itself on the board. Nico pushed it, and the elevator car jerked and dived downwards.

"Swiped it from the security guard." Nico explained "You learn a few things when you're in charge of Hermes cabin's swordsmanship"

Will gave him an impressed look before the doors burst open. The room looked no different than the floor they just came in. Hospital beds and different sorts of machines were all over the place. Green privacy curtains were hanging from a track on the ceiling where low lights illuminated the room.

The only difference between the upper floor was that this place was entirely empty. The only sounds that came were from the beeps of machinery and a faint voice muttering "no, no, no" at the very back of the room.

Will finally started to walk towards the sound of the voice. A women was bent over a working bench with chemicals and different assortments of microscopes and centrifuges. She had short brown hair pulled in a ponytail wore a white lab coat over a set of light green scrubs and a stethoscope around her neck– your stereotypical doctor outfit.

She hadn't noticed their presence until Will said hello.

"Oh hello," She straightened herself "How can I help you?"

"Are you Panacea?" Nico asked

"Yes," She replied in a happy tone "Goddess of cures at your service."

Will was skeptical at first of how nice she is. Gods always had a side to them, but she seemed genuinely nice and ready to help out. Will heard the story from Leo from when he'd meet Asclepius, god of medicine. He was nice too, ready to help them acquire the physician's cure. Maybe this niceness was genetic.

"I'm Will Solace, son of Apollo." He said "And this is Nico. We're on a quest from Poseidon and we heard that you could help us out"

"What do you need?" Panacea put her hands on her hips "If it's a mortal cure for cancer, I can't help you."

"You can't cure cancer?" Nico asked

"Screw that disease!" She banged her hand against the bench, knocking down a pink vial of liquid "I've been trying to find the non-magical cure for decades!"

"Non-magical cure?" Will repeated.

"Of course I can cure it with magic," Panacea replied "But humans require a simpler approach to curing of diseases."

"Naturally." Nico said "Speaking of magic, we know you were close to Hecate, so would you happen to know who Circe's sisters are?"

"Oh that's easy! Hecate adopts every great sorceress that follows in her footsteps. There's Circe, Pasiphae, Medea and I heard there was this new powerful daughter of Pluto."

"Hazel Levesque" Nico offered.

"Yes, her" the goddess agreed "I don't know where they are, but if Circe said 'her sisters', I would have to guess it's them"

Will and Nico thanked Panacea for the information. Nico started to walk back to the elevator, but Will didn't follow. He took a look at the goddess of cures, and was tempted to ask her a million questions about the various incurable diseased he'd studied about: Alzheimer's, Lou Gehrig's Disease, Multiple sclerosis. She was like the answer to all his questions, but Will could only bring himself to one in particular.

"Is there a cure to a broken heart?" Will asked her. He wasn't sure if he'd asked that because of what he'd talked about with Percy last night, or the fact that he'd seemed so distant from Nico lately. Maybe a part of Will believed that he was having problems with Nico, and maybe those problems would lead to something bigger.

"Is that a philosophical question?" She straightened her stethoscope "Because I don't do those. I'm a woman of science"

"No, no" Will said "Is there an actual cure to a broken heart?"

"Son of Apollo," She touch his arm "I've cured so many diseases: TB, smallpox, polio, but even I can't conjure up something that powerful. There are cheats, you could say. People removing the memory of the person they want to forget. I've even heard of a man that took his own heart out once, but I'm afraid the only remedy that a healer can give their patient is time."

Time. As a healer, it was the most important tool one can use.

"How do you remove your heart?" Will asked, curious to know what that meant.

"Magic." She said grimly "Lots of magic."

"Will!" Nico yelled "You coming?"

"You better go" Panacea said "Your quest awaits."

"Thank you" Will started to walk away, but still wanting her about what kind of magic they would need for removing hearts, though he thought he didn't want the answer to that "Let me know when you figure out that cure for cancer."

"Will do" She smiled and waved him goodbye. Will joined Nico in the elevator and pressed the first floor button. The doors closed, Will turned to Nico and he bent back his head across his arm and kissed him, softly at first, and then with a swift gradation of intensity that made Nico cling to him. The peppermint taste of Nico's lips washed over Will, reminding him of the very first time he'd kissed the son of Hades. He'd always thought it was odd that such a dark person would have such a pleasant taste to his lips.

"Whoa, what did you talk with Panacea about?" Nico smiled, crinkles forming near his eyes.

"Nothing" Will lied "I just felt like kissing you"


	37. The Doubts

Piper looked like she was about to throw up. She didn't take all the information well and hardly ever asked questions.

"Oh gods" She placed an hand on her forehead "Oh gods, oh gods"

Nico hated to be the one to tell Piper about everything that has happened since the Great Prophecy had been announced, but he felt that the oath he'd made to reunite Jason's family forced him to be the one to do so.

"I'm sorry we kept you in the dark" Nico said "It was best for you and Tom"

"And- and that _final_ prophecy" She looked like she was shaking "is happening now?"

"Camp Jupiter's forces have already arrived at Half Blood Hill" Nico replied "It could be any minute now that Jason and Tom meet and kick start it."

"I don't understand." She said "Why Jason and Tom? Why _my_ family?"

Nico wanted to give her an answer, but his guess was as good as any. It could be that either of them was the child of Rome in the prophecy. There was no telling, but he knew that, soon, all his questions were going to be answered.

"We have to get back" Nico stood "They need us."

Piper nodded. She stood and slipped her hand into his, indicating that she was ready for the fight of her life. Nico hoped he still had enough fuel to transport back to camp without disintegrating into shadows. He made a small prayer to his father, Hades, and willed the darkness to obey.

* * *

In his dreams, Nico was running away from a winged figure.

He wasn't surprised to find himself a teenager again. Most of his dreams displayed him in that figure, back when he was living the worst days of his life. Despite Nico wanting to leave them in the past, his unconscious kept throwing his past trauma at him as if saying _Here, deal with this!_

Tonight, he was in a dark alley. He couldn't see anything past his hands, but at the other end of the alley, there was a man's silhouette, barely distinguishable in the darkness. He had a lean muscular body and was about six feet tall. He had huge wings sticking out of his back, but the most noticeable feature was his bright red eyes that glowed brightly.

The man started flying in Nico's direction. Every tissue in Nico's body screamed run, but he couldn't. Normally, he was able to control his dreams, but lately they've been too powerful. All he could do was stand there and watch the man attack.

"Listen!" The man said, in a familiar voice. "Listen to it, Nico"

Nico tried to scream. He wanted answers to why those dreams were haunting him. What was the meaning of all this.

The angel man descended in front of him but he could barely make out his face in the darkness. There was a grin on his face, which Nico interpreted as one of those troublemaker kid smiles that was trademarked in the Hermes cabin. It wasn't an evil smile, but more of a 'I'm planning something' kind of look, and even though Nico could swear this alley was situated somewhere in Manhattan, he could smell salt in the air, like the smell of the sea.

Nico woke with a start, overhearing the pirates yelling all around the ship. The cabin was dark and Will still looked peacefully asleep next to him.

Nico slipped out of the bed, careful not to wake him. He put on his aviator jacket over his Winter War Games 2025 sweatshirt, and found his way back on deck. Up on the main mast, the look out was snoozing off, which wouldn't have been good. Nico could still hear the voices of pirates rowing downstairs, cursing to their hearts' content.

On the helm stood Percy Jackson. He still wore slacks and a white dress shirt from his wedding tux. His sleeves were up to his elbows, clearly not bothered by the cold weather. It wasn't snowing anymore, but Nico's arm hair still stood under the sleeves of his jacket.

"Can't sleep?" Percy asked him as Nico walked up the stairs of the quarterdeck.

"Nope, you?"

"Not even a wink." He admitted "Texas is still a few days away."

Nico was still reluctant about asking dragging Hazel into all this. It just seemed too convenient for a witch to be able to track another witch. He'd always thought sorceresses were all-powerful beings, but Percy and Will thought it couldn't hurt to ask for help, especially after Panacea mentioned her by name. Frank will obviously have to tag along, just because Hazel is. In the Iris message, they agreed to use the Labyrinth to arrive at Leo's then meet at the port in Galveston, Texas.

"Okay I can't believe I haven't asked you this yet" Nico ventured "But how are you?"

"Since when does Nico Di Angelo care about feelings?" Percy smiled sarcastically.

"Shut up, Jackson" Nico paused "I'm serious, you okay?"

"I'm fine" Percy smiled again, but it looked more forced this time. Nico stared him down until he took a deep breath. "I miss them obviously, but I gotta do this before I get back."

"How do you do it?" Nico asked, determined to understand what's going on in Percy's head.

"Do what?" Percy spun the helm, rocking the ship a bit.

"Not blame the world for everything"

"What good would that do?" Percy leaned his arms between the handles of the helm, steadying the course of the ship. "When the world fights against me, I have to fight back in order to get what I want. Holding grudges doesn't get you anywhere."

Nico let go of a small chuckle, noticing the irony in what he'd just said.

"Now can I ask _you_ something?" Percy raised an eyebrow, his face more serious this time "Did you ever forgive me?"

"Forgive you?" Nico repeated, not understanding what he meant by his question.

"For... Bianca" Percy admitted "We never got the chance to talk about _everything_ when we were younger."

"I was a kid." Nico felt blood rush to his face, realizing what Percy indicated by the word 'everything'. In so many ways, Percy still had that effect on Nico. Old crushes never seemed to leave Nico alone. Maybe it was because of Nico's silly childhood obsession with pirates and looking at Percy now, he was the captain of the most famous pirate ship in history.

"I'm sorry that I never knew." Percy straightened his back but still avoided eye contact.

"I'm sorry I was difficult." Nico admitted, both of them quiet for a second. Percy then turned at Nico and all of a sudden he felt like a ten year old kid again, being saved from a Manticore by the hero with deep green eyes and raven black hair.

"Did you..." Percy hesitated "Did you love me?"

"Remember Mythomagic?" Nico asked then Percy nodded in agreement "You were like a character in a game to me. A legend. A true hero. I idolized you... admired you for so long that it eventually developed into feelings."

Percy didn't drop his gaze. He was either a very good listener, or he wanted the answer to his question really badly.

"It was never love" Nico admitted.

Percy exhaled, probably in relief. He turned his head back forward, breaking the mini staring contest they were engaged in

"Do you love Will?" He asked.

Nico thought about that. Percy was Nico's first crush, and he could make Nico's stomach do back flips with as much as a look, but Will Solace was more... easy going than Percy. Will could always force Nico's stomach to conjure up a swarm of skeletal butterflies. Although the feeling of back flips was way more intense, Nico liked the butterflies more. He thought a lifetime with butterflies in his stomach would be easy, but a lifetime doing back flips would be too tiresome, but was comfort and ease of mind a reason to love Will?

In many ways, Will made him a better person over the past few years. They'd shared many amazing experiences together. They were even handpicked together by Chiron to run camp. On the other hand, Percy made him _want_ to be a better person. He'd jumped at the chance to help him on his quest, for reasons that he could never admit out loud.

Suddenly, Nico could feel his own body move closer to the son of the sea. It seemed as though he was completely lacking control of the muscles in his leg. He was just drawn to him, like a trance. His brain kept insisting on opening the door he'd kept closed since he was fourteen years old.

Percy was still eyeing the ocean in front of him, not noticing Nico advancing until he was dangerously close.

"Nico-" Percy couldn't finish the sentence, as he was cut short by Nico's lips. It was a brief kiss, barely lasting a few seconds, but every fiber in Nico's body screamed that it was wrong. Other than the feeling of guilt that washed over him, the kiss with Percy wasn't like anything Nico had ever imagined.

His lips tasted salty, which was a taste Nico was never fond of. He was always so used to the taste of honey on Will's lips, that it never occurred to him that Percy's lips would taste like sea water. The chemistry between them was completely wrong. Maybe it was the fact that Percy didn't see it coming, but the kiss was awkward and... just didn't feel right. He didn't know where to place his hands or how to make it last longer than a few seconds.

"I'm sorry" Nico felt his own face getting redder as he let go and began to walk away. He was determined never to show his face to Percy again until Percy caught up to him and stopped him.

"Stop running away!" Percy turned Nico around so that they were face to face. Nico stifled a sob, then regained enough strength to meet Percy's eyes. In reality, he was only about two or three inches taller than him, but Percy seemed to be ten feet tall right now.

"I needed to know how that felt" Nico's voice was small "To make sure that I really love Will."

"You shouldn't need to kiss me to know how you feel about your fiance"

"Easy for you to say," Nico said "You've been completely in love with Annabeth since you were fifteen"

"So have you!" Percy scolded him "I've watched you fall in love with Will when you were a kid too, so why did you ever doubt it?"

"I don't know" Nico's eyes watered in the presence of Percy. He vowed to never do that again, but he couldn't help the tears falling down his face.

Percy didn't drop his gaze. His nails were still digging into Nico's arms. He wasn't satisfied with the answer, even though that was the truth. Will had been nothing but amazing to him. There shouldn't have been a reason for this doubt about this relationship. His brain and his heart both told him to go live happily ever after with Will Solace, so what was stopping him?

Unfortunately, there was no answer.

Nico pried Percy's hands away from his body, then he turned around and kept on walking away. This time, the son of Poseidon didn't stop him.

"If you can't even listen to your own soul," A new voice said "How would you listen to the souls of the dead when you are judge?"

Nico dared to turn around at Percy again, but this time his sea green eyes were the color of grey. It wasn't anything like Annabeth Chase's stormy grey, but rather full of pain and misery, like they'd seen a share of bad choices and consequences.

"Who are you?" Nico asked

"It doesn't matter" Percy replied in his new voice. The voice that spoke wasn't Percy's , instead it was more feminine. Nico's right hand tried to reach for the hilt of his sword, only that he forgot to strap it on when he woke up. "What matters is that you need to learn to listen to souls."

"I've been summoning souls since I was ten."

"But have you ever _listened_ to them?" Percy tilted his head "You were once misguided by King Minos' ghost because you failed to study and understand his essence."

"I've been trained by Hades himself." Nico threatened "I doubt he missed a class lecture about _listening._ "

"Hades never paid much attention to his subjects" He shrugged "He isn't even in charge of judging who goes where in the Underworld."

"Are you calling the god of the Underworld incompetent?" Nico asked, hoping his father was listening to the insult that would be uttered by whoever that being was.

"Gods, no" Percy shook his head with a smile "Lord Hades is very suited to run the kingdom of the dead. I'm saying _you_ are not suited to be a judge of the Underworld... yet. Nearly twenty years ago, my husband took a special interest in you. Now it is my turn, Nico Di Angelo."

"Your husband, listening to souls..." Nico deduced, suddenly remembering one of the most painful experiences he'd ever endured "You're Psyche, wife of Eros."

"Indeed, my dear pupil" Psyche nodded "And your first lesson is understanding that your own soul is in great conflict. It has been trying to contact you for sometime."

"Can I shoot it an email or...?"

"Your soul- all souls are vulnerable, impermanent, but strong... Stronger than you know. There's a reason the Underworld even exists. Gods couldn't find a way to get rid of human souls. They're full of energy, full of light, full of great power. They can be bludgeoned, tortured, but never broken."

Nico didn't want to listen to a philosophical lecture any more than he wanted to talk to Eros' wife. He wanted answers to his problems, and an explanation on how his inability to 'listen' to his soul had been a cause for his current issues.

"That's beautiful, but-"

"My sisters had once managed to use my soul's sense of curiosity to destroy my happiness. Your soul holds your biggest, most fatal flaws... and biggest strengths. You soul makes your core character. I offer you this advice: Stop listening to your brain and your heart, and start listening to what your soul is telling you. Let it lead the way."

Psyche nodded one last time before she closed her eyes and exited Percy's body, returning his eyes to their normal green color. He didn't seem to notice his body being possessed because he still stared at him with disappointment.


	38. The Serpent

**[Sorry about the weird text earlier. Idk why it keeps doing that.]**

"Do we open it?" Frank asked, his voice echoing in the dimly lit basement.

"We're just supposed to guard it," Hazel answered, keeping a tight grip on her Spatha. "But we have to warn someone about this."

"You're right." Frank agreed "Go tell Grover or Chiron. I'll stay down here."

Hazel nodded and started walking towards the stairs. The back of her messy curly hair radiated the blue color that was reflected all over the room.

"Do you think our girls will be alright?" Hazel stopped, and slowly turned her body back at Frank.

Frank swallowed. Everyone told him that having a family would be the most wonderful thing, but no one warned him about the ache of worrying he'd have to suffer as a father. Now that there was an invasion by the most feared force in the universe, he couldn't bring himself to think about losing a member of his family.

"We have to hope." Frank gulped, fearing the future.

* * *

"We should make it a competition!" Leo announced as soon as Frank told him the news. All four of them sat at breakfast at Calypso's diner. It wasn't open yet, so the place was empty except for their table. The diner radiated with assortments of the smells of different spices. On Frank's plate, there was Greek yogurt topped with walnuts and a breakfast taco, made from scrambled eggs and gyro. Frank thought the combination of Greek and Mexican was weird at first, but it tasted like heaven. There was no wondering why Calypso and Leo's diner business was doing so good.

"Leo..." Hazel took charge in shooting down his not-so-great ideas. Calypso just sat in silence, shaking her head, clearly having had enough of Leo's ideas.

"No." Leo refused "You guys are trying, we're trying. First one to have a baby wins!"

"You sound like Nike." Hazel pointed out.

"It wasn't my fault that you guys placed her so close to my engine room."

"You're on" Frank accepted his challenge, though he didn't know what made him give Leo the satisfaction.

"Frank!" Calypso and Hazel both scolded him.

"He's not going to shut up unless we agree" Frank explained.

"YES!" Leo threw his hand up in the air in celebration.

"Are you guys sure Percy doesn't need our help on the quest?" Calypso asked, eager to change the subject before Leo lays out the rules and guidelines of his competition.

"I'm sure we'll be fine." Hazel answered "I don't know if my magic is capable of tracking down Circe or Medea, but I'll try everything I can."

"And I'll be there if Percy needs any underwater backup" Frank said.

"Gods," Calypso set down her spoon on her plate "How could Percy do it?"

"Or Annabeth" Hazel replied, suddenly filling the air with a somber vibe. Frank almost wished for Leo to burst out babbling about his rules and guidelines right about now. The truth was that everyone was miserable for Annabeth and Percy. They all wanted to help, but nobody knew how.

Hazel and Frank took Annabeth and Luke in after the incident at the wedding. Now, Jason is trying to raise her spirits by asking for her help running camp. Frank couldn't even imagine what Percy's going through alone. Not only is he not allowed to see his family again, but also everyone he loves back on land. Even a son of Poseidon can get sick of the sea in twelve years.

"We should get going," Frank stood up "How far is the coast from here."

"With Houston traffic, an hour and a half" Leo took a bite of his taco.

Everyone finished their breakfast, then Frank and Hazel got into Calypso's Toyota. Leo didn't want to come along because of his car sickness, so Hazel sat in front while Frank hung out in the back.

For a thousand year old sorceress who had never seen cars until a few years ago, Calypso was a pretty good driver. They zoomed through I-45, and in about an hour, Frank could see the coast of the gulf of Mexico.

Calypso parked near the harbor where they agreed to meet Percy. She said her goodbyes and rushed back in time before Leo blew the whole place up.

Hazel and Frank stood side by side. The weather was pretty hot and humid for a November morning. They both wore shirts and jeans, Hazel's Spatha strapped to her side, and Frank's bow and arrow to his back. The water didn't look anywhere as beautiful as the Californian beaches. Grey colored waves clashed against the huge rocks that sat at the end of the docks where water bottles and plastic bags washed up.

"Look," Frank broke the silence that had been going on for days "I had been thinking about our... situation and having a baby with you was part of the future I was building for us. It took a while to swallow but it doesn't matter to me that you can't have children."

"Frank, it's not fair for you" Hazel didn't meet his gaze.

"Our lives are never fair, Hazel" Frank reminded her "I was born with a magic stick that controlled my life. You died at thirteen years old."

"And removed all chances of having a baby" She still looked down, her voice grim.

"I don't care," Frank held her cheeks, and raised her face to meet his. Tears were flooding her eyes. "I don't care."

"WEIGH THE ANCHORS YE STINKING SEA DOGS" A man's voice cut off Frank's train of thought. In the docks, a three masted ship was entering the marine. It looked more ancient than the other ships at sea, but that didn't bother the people around the harbor.

Hazel and Frank got completely distracted from their conversation by the sight of The Queen Anne's Revenge. They hadn't seen a ship like that since the Argo II, and they were taking in the sight.

"Yo, Zhang! You coming or what?" Percy glided down one of the ropes and made a perfect landing on the rails. He looked just as he did a week ago. Dress shirt and slacks, with a messy black hair and a light scruff that grew on the sides of his face.

Frank took Hazel's hand and together they climbed aboard the ship, saying their hellos to Will, Nico and finally Percy. They were introduced to Blackbeard, the former captain of the ship.

"Percy," Hazel said "I know you need Frank's backup, but I don't know if I can be any help. All I know how to do is manipulate the mist."

"We need you" Percy said confidently "If it's magic-related, it's Levesque-related."

"But-"

"No buts" He insisted "Blackbeard, let's move!"

That night, Percy gave Hazel and Frank the captain's cabin. They tried to refuse, but he explained that he'll be perfectly fine sleeping with the crew and that he was tired of sleeping alone in the huge bed.

Hazel went below deck after dinner with Will and Nico to get settled. Frank and Percy were left on the main deck together, leaning over the rails and gazing out on the Caribbean sea.

"How is Annabeth?" Percy asked.

"She's hanging in there." Frank replied "Hazel and I took her to the hospital in New Rome, and they say that the baby is happy and healthy."

"That's great" Percy said, though neither his voice nor his face didn't really convey any sort of happiness.

They stayed in silence for another few minutes then Frank finally asked "Where are we going?"

"Back to the Atlantic." Percy replied "Maybe Hazel can sense things better out there"

"As long as we don't go back to the Mare Nostrum, we'll be fine" Frank joked.

"What's wrong?" Percy turned his head to face Frank "You've been acting all weird since you got here"

"What?" Frank's hands started getting sweaty. He tried to look as though nothing is wrong.

"You're all... twitchy" Percy said "You're like the same Frank I met at the Little Tiber."

Frank thought about telling Percy his problem with Hazel. In truth, their visit to the doctor's in New Rome had been the only thing in his head for a few days. He could never forget how he felt when the doctor had told him that he cannot have a child with Hazel because of some medical reasons he didn't understand. Something about a rare case of premature menopause. Hazel had been convinced that it was because she had died before and she was technically eighty something years old, but Frank didn't want to believe that.

Before Frank could answer, the ship rocked. Percy exchanged a look with Frank and both of them simultaneously drew their weapons.

It was quite for a minute, then the ship rocked harder. Frank spent too much time concentrating on not falling that he didn't notice the monster standing two stories higher than The Queen Anne's Revenge. Its triangular forehead was wide enough to provide parking for a compact car. Its eyes glowed orange and scales radiated yellow. When it opened its vast red maw, it's breath smelled worse than Leo's work shirts.

The creature snapped at Percy. He sidestepped and thrust his blade straight into the serpent's eye. The serpent's head flailed from side to side as if trying to shake the blindness out of its wounded eye. Frank could hear Hazel, Nico and Will coming up the stairs and join the rest of the crew on deck.

The serpent's right eye had gone dark, but its glowing left iris and its hideous maw reminded Frank of the Halloween pumpkins that littered the streets of New Rome right before he left.

The serpent hissed, spraying venom all over. The serpent struck again and Percy and Frank dove in opposite directions. It's head causing a massive destruction in the wooden surface of the main. There was no way Frank could fight that thing on the ship without drowning everyone on board.

Percy shared a look with Frank, as if thinking the same thing he was. He turned and dove in the water. Frank followed his example, turning himself into a dolphin right before hitting the surface. Percy joined Frank underwater, a safe distance away from the serpent.

"What is that?" Percy's voice sounded the same it did on land.

"Don't know, but we need to keep it away from the ship" Frank spoke in Percy's mind.

Percy nodded and together they charged. Percy willed the ocean to cause a spiral that carried him above water close to the monster. He started slashing with Riptide at his scaly body, trying to distract it from The Queen Anne's revenge.

Frank swam upwards and out of the water, transforming himself midair into a giant eagle. He used wings to fly close enough to the serpent, but was quickly knocked out of the sky by it's giant head. In the distance heard Hazel scream his name while he tumbled down and changed shape back to human.

Frank swallowed a few gallons of water and came up spluttering, then gagged in horror when he saw Percy encircled in the snake's tail. The serpent lifted him out of the water, bringing him level with its remaining eye. Percy slashed wildly, but the monster kept him out of striking distance. The snake's tail constricted around his waist, turning his face tomato red. He hammered Riptide uselessly against the monster's hide.

Frank stood paralyzed, unable to help, unable to think. The serpent ignored him, no doubt too interested in watching Percy implode. Frank tried swimming closer to the ship's hull, but his chest stung in pain as he stretched his hand. He placed his hand on his chest and felt at least two broken ribs. He willed himself to get close enough to the ship, trying to ignore the pain that burned across his whole body.

One of the crew members dropped a ladder. Frank climbed up, getting a better view of the serpent. He didn't know how Percy broke free of the snake's coils but he was now back to fighting it with waves of water.

Hazel, Nico and Will rushed to Frank's aid. Will immediately assessed Frank's injuries, muttered a hymn then fed him a square of Ambrosia. In no time, Frank felt better and was ready for action again.

"What is that thing?" Frank ordered.

"Carthaginian Serpent." Hazel replied "It faced Roman troops in Africa and almost drowned an entire legion under Marcus Atilius Regulus"

"How do you kill it?" Frank asked.

"It was buried under rocks" Nico said "Which you won't find here"

Sure enough, he was right. There was nothing surrounding the monster except gallons and gallons of ocean water. There was not an island or a weird mountain in sight that could be used to crush the serpent.

Frank thought about alternatives to rocks. Something heavy, but the only thing that could be hurled above it was The Queen Anne's Revenge, and there was no way he would do that.

Frank got an idea, crazy enough to be thought by Leo Valdez. He started running towards the rails of the ship and just before hitting them transformed into a dove, soaring in the direction of the beast.

From above, the serpent didn't look or smell any more pleasant. Frank hovered on top, rethinking his idea and wondering if he would come out alive. In a millisecond, he changed shape from a tiny dove to an enormous blue whale, instantly being pulled by gravity onto the monster's body, crushing it several feet into the water.

Percy got the idea, and dove below. He helped will the water downwards, forbidding the currents to carry Frank's body back to the surface. When they reached the sea floor, Frank eyed a rock big enough to trap the Carthaginian Serpent for eternity. He ordered Percy to carry the boulder and place it above the snake's scaly body. It hissed and banged its half-blind head against the sand, but in vain.

Percy and Frank caught their breath- or water, then swam back up to the ship.

"Frank, that was amazing" Will patted Frank on the back, then Percy did the same. He wanted to reply and say it was nothing, but the look on Hazel's face bothered him. She kept her golden eyes fixed somewhere beyond the ship's rails.

"Hazel, what's wrong?" He asked her.

"There." She pointed somewhere into the vast ocean, but nothing stood out to him except water.

"What?" Frank asked cluelessly.

"That blue glow." She replied. Frank took one more look, but he could still see nothing "You don't see it?"

"Let's go" Percy ordered, his eyes fixed outwards into the sea.


	39. The Fourth Sister

Hazel let out a huge whistle, silently hoping that her friend could hear her over the booms and bangs of the fighting all around.

Luckily, in less than a microsecond, Arion zipped into existence in front of the Big House porch. Hazel sighed in relief at the sight of her horse friend then he straddled Arion, and together they zoomed through the city of New Athens.

Arion stopped when he reached the border. Hazel took a few moments to gaze upon the battle ground: Roman legionnaires advancing on armies of Blemmyae, hoards of pegasi charging at Hyperboarean giants, and the Argo II shooting rays of green fire.

Everyone was doing the best they could to protect the city. Hazel's eyes drifted to the wounded demigods being carried into the field infirmary. She couldn't bring herself to think about who she might find in there, but her curiosity took the best of her.

She ushered Arion to deliver her to the entrance of the Asclepius temple. It was strategically located on the very last street before the New Athens city line, a big white building with tons of groaning half bloods. Apollo children were running about trying to mend broken bones and treat wounds.

Hazel had never seen a bigger crowd of injured troops before, not even when Gaea attacked thirty five years ago.

"Oh gods!" Hazel gasped when she laid eyes on who Will Solace was tending. In his hands were the broken arms of a young boy with black hair. She knew he was eight years old because Hazel clearly remembered planning his recent birthday party. His face was pale and beaded with sweat. Even though he was covered in blankets, he shivered. Besides him, a young girl about his age was wiping his forehead with a cool cloth.

Hazel ran over, pushing past satyrs until she reached the bed where he lay. Will was unwrapping his bandages to examine the wound. The bleeding had stopped but the gash looked deep. The skin around the shoulder was a horrible shade of green that made Hazel want to faint.

"It's not so bad, Bobby." Will said "A few more minutes and we would've been in trouble, but the venom hasn't gotten past your shoulder yet. Just lie still."

"What happened?" Hazel demanded.

"This guy is a hero, that's what happened" Will explained, while he put some silver colored paste over the wound "Arachne got a cheap shot of his shoulder before Bianca and Bobby defeated her"

"Arachne?!" Hazel gasped "How did you-"

"We all know those two are the strongest duo at camp." Will ruffled Bobby's black hair, but the kid barely mustered a smile.

Will continued to add fresh bandages to the shoulder, then muttered a hymn in ancient Greek. After he was done, he stood up shakily. Hazel noticed that the healing he'd been doing must've taken a lot of his energy because he looked almost as pale as Bobby.

"Bianca," Hazel knelt down at the girl "You okay, honey?"

"Yes, mom" She replied, though her golden eyes were still filled with worry. Hazel had always noticed the chemistry between those two ever since their first summer at Camp Half Blood last year. Bianca was only six months older than Bobby, but the two of them were the youngest of the gang's kids, creating a special kind of bond between them.

"Bobby," Will said "Your wound's going to be fine in a few hours, but you won't be in any shape to fight. Just stay in the Athena command center."

"But I want to help" Bobby said weakly.

"Your mom had that exact same wound in the Titan war, and trust me she wasn't any good in a fight."

Bobby didn't argue, mostly because he was too tired. Hazel's heart ached for him and she couldn't even imagine what would happen when this battle progresses.

"Bianca," Hazel said "Stay with Bobby till he gets better"

"But-"

"He needs you," Hazel insisted.

Bianca lowered her head, and her shoulder slumped but Hazel didn't care. She didn't want her own daughter to end up injured out there while Frank and her were stuck in some basement. She wished she could do the same for her other daughter, but Hazel could only hope that Emily, praetor of Rome and the one leading the Roman assault, would return safely into her arms after all this is over.

* * *

"THE SHIP IS SINKING" Blackbeard roared. Hazel felt the ship rock back and forth. Just when they thought they were safe from the Carthaginian serpent, the Queen Anne's Revenge decides to take a break from floating on the water surface.

Hazel wished she wasn't so useless. What good is magic if it doesn't fix sinking ships or kill giant snakes? Percy stood deep in concentration at the midst of everyone shuffling about, probably willing the ocean to keep the ship afloat. Nico, Frank and Will were helping the crew get rid of anything too heavy on board.

"It's no use" Frank said after they threw a wooden box overboard "Percy can't hold on for much longer. This ship is going down."

Hazel took one last look at Percy, who was turning paler by the second. It was as if he was raising this whole ship in his whole hands. She looked over the rails, at the clashing waves that were hungrily devouring The Queen. Hazel didn't know what was causing this ship to sink. Most of the damage that the serpent had caused seemed minimal, and was mostly on the forecastle deck, not the ship's core. This ship wasn't supposed to be sinking.

Hazel kept her eyes at the waves, ignoring her nausea. She could have sworn there was a blue light radiating from somewhere, but it was nowhere in sight now that the ship started sinking. Pirates were cursing all over. Frank was offering to fly everyone out of here in dragon form, but Hazel tuned all that out. She concentrated and, for a brief moment, the blue flash returned from the bottom of the ocean.

"Percy!" Hazel yelled "Let go of the ship!"

"Are you crazy?" Percy said, his words strained.

"Trust me!" Hazel insisted, hoping he's take heed of her words.

Percy took one deep breath, and quickly exhaled it and with that letting go of the force that was holding the ship.

Hazel always thought a sinking ship was slow. She'd seen Titanic. It took hours for it to reach the bottom of the ocean. Somehow The Queen Anne's Revenge was on the sea floor in about a minute. It felt like going down an extremely fast elevator, which didn't do Hazel's stomach any favors.

Another weird thing: Hazel could breathe. All the crew was breathing. The ship sat in an enormous air bubble underneath the sea.

"Percy, are you doing this?" Frank asked.

"Not me" Percy was still trying to catch his breath. Hazel checked on Nico and Will, who seemed okay. Frank was in human form, and other than the few cuts and bruises from his earlier fight, he was fine too.

Hazel grabbed hold of a rope, and with a swish from her spatha, she cut it and used it to descend down to the hull of the ship. Underneath her feet, the sea floor was a sludge of mud and the air around her was humid. Beyond their little air bubble, the ocean seemed peaceful enough until the next flash of blue illuminated the place.

"You guys saw that right?" Hazel asked, as her friends joined her at the bottom.

"Yeah," Percy said "It's coming from over there."

He pointed to the water but Hazel couldn't see anything past the thick blue color of the water. Percy must have understood their inability to see because he moved closer to the edge and used his water bending powers to cause the air bubble to expand in the direction of the light.

As they got closer Hazel could clearly see the ruins and blocks of black granite and marble that littered the sea floor. Broken columns and bronze statues

"This is the Titan underwater palace" Percy whispered in awe.

"It's destroyed." Frank pointed out.

"Second Titan war" Will explained "Poseidon destroyed Oceanus' forces and sent him to Tartarus after he sided with Kronos."

"I thought Oceanus was a neutral Titan." Frank said.

"Guess Kronos had some sort of leverage on him." Will shrugged.

Percy continued cautiously as he picked the way through the rubble, past blocks of marble and broken archways. Soon The Queen Anne's Revenge wasn't in sight. Hazel hated that she didn't have the back up of fifty angry pirates. She hoped the magic air bubble would hold the ship till they returned

"So," Frank filled the silence "Oceanus' palace moved the same way Olympus moved?"

"He used to live in the deepest parts of the Mediterranean." Nico replied "Now, here, we're in the deepest part of the Atlantic."

Hazel continued walking when Percy expanded the air bubble more to reveal the full view of Oceanus' ruined palace. Unknowingly he revealed the source of the blue light.

In what used to be the throne room, stood three women chanting in ancient Greek. Hazel didn't understand it as much as Latin, but by the looks of Percy, Will and Nico's faces, it wasn't good.

"Pasiphae" Hazel uttered at a closer look on the women. A wave of nausea hit Hazel so hard her knees buckled. The whole world shifted. None of her friends seemed able to move at the sight of the three witches.

Pasiphae looked the exact same way she had years ago. She wore the same elegant sleeveless dress of woven gold, her dark hair piled into a cone, encircled with diamonds and emeralds. Around her neck hung a pendant like a miniature maze.

The woman on her left had long dark hair braided with threads of gold. She had piercing green eyes and she wore a silky black dress with shapes that seemed to move in the fabric.

The last woman was the most beautiful and the youngest of the trio. She wore an elegant black dress with diamond jewelry. Her long dark hair swept over one shoulder, and her face was gorgeous in that surreal super-model way—thin and haughty and cold, not quite human.

The three of them did have a resemblance to each other, almost like they really were sisters. The dark hair, the jewelry, even down to the aura of power that radiated from each of them like fire in a furnace.

"Welcome darling. We have waited for you." Pasiphae said, temporarily stopping her chanting.

"Waiting for me to get rid of you again." Hazel raised her Spatha, but she knew that she wouldn't be using it against Pasiphae.

"Your little trick with the trap door"Pasiphae's laugh echoed across the empty sea floor. "How cute!"

"Seemed to work well enough last time." Hazel mustered.

"Please," She said "I let you win. I never wanted to work for Gaea. She was the losing horse in the race. Every sensible person knew that."

"Then why did you work for her?" Nico had his sword drawn.

"I wanted to meet my new sister." She spread her arms. Her eyes gleamed at Hazel's direction and she shot her with a glowing white smile "Hazel, imagine the things you can do when you join us: The most powerful witches in the universe. Our combined powers will be no match even for Hecate herself."

"Never."

"Be sensible darling." She crossed her arms "After we wake them, you and I would be unstoppable."

"Who's them?" Frank demanded, his bow in his hand.

"You're standing in their domain, Frank Zhang."

"Pontus." Percy understood.

"And his wife, Thalassa" Pasiphae added "They're waking... very soon."

Hazel glanced back at the Circe and Medea. She didn't understand what they were saying but the powerful flash of blue color made perfect sense now. In the middle, there was what looked like a glass orb which was sealed with powerful kind of magic. Hazel could feel its power even standing a few feet away. By the looks of it, waking Pontus and Thalassa wouldn't have to be as complicated as Gaea's with the demigod blood and ancient lands. If Hazel had to guess, Pontus and Thalassa preferred a more subtle way to seal themselves off from the world with an easy way to wake them up when needed.

"But that won't happen without Hazel." Pasiphae said "We need a fourth..."

Hazel laughed so hard, she almost doubled over. "In your dreams, Pasiphae"

"I can make this worth your while." Pasiphae grinned "I understand you want a... baby potion. Medea, can you arrange something like that, darling?"

"How did you know that?" Frank stepped forward, his face red with anger. Somehow, Hazel's courage disappeared. It seemed as though Pasiphae plucked her heart out and stomped on it. She didn't know how the sorceress could possibly know that information, but she didn't hesitate to use it for her advantage.

Percy, Will and Nico stood there, clueless. Hazel wished she could be like them... to forget about the past few weeks that taunted her every time she looked at Frank. Of all the things Hazel endured in her two lifetimes, nothing pained her more than hearing that she couldn't have a baby.

"C-Can you really do that?" Hazel hesitated.

"Hazel!" Frank yelled.

Pasiphae called on Medea. She paused her chanting and threw something that looked like a glass vial full of clear colored liquid to Pasiphae. The two of them exchanged a look, then Medea continued the chant.

"This right here, will solve your problem." Pasiphae held up the vial "All you have to do is help us."

Frank looked at Hazel like she was crazy... which she was because all she wanted was to take that vial. For years, Frank and her had dreamed of being parents... even grandparents someday. The fact that some god had taken that away from Hazel made her think about all the disgusting and cruel things they are capable of. Gods caused wars, sent plagues, killed people, all for no reason. Maybe a world without the Olympians wouldn't be so bad.

 _You are able to cause delays_. The lines of Percy's prophecy resonated in Hazel's mind. This quest will cause some sort of delay in the primordial gods' plans. Maybe Percy can delay the end of the world for years, decades... maybe even long enough for Hazel to have her long and happy life full of kids.

"Don't even _think_ about stealing this." Pasiphae looked at Frank, reading his face "It can't be activated without my magic."

"We don't need it." Frank insisted.

"Yes we do." Hazel mustered "Frank, I'm sorry."

Pasiphae immediately gave her a wicked grin. She raised her hands and immediately all of Hazel's friends stopped moving. The four men stood frozen in place.

"All yours." Pasiphae inched closer and handed Hazel the glass vial. "Let me show you how to break the spell, sister."

Hazel held the vial. She ran her fingers down the glass surface. Pasiphae placed her hand on Hazel's shoulder, attempting to guide her towards the orb where Pontus and Thalassa slept.

"Hazel please," Frank pleaded "Don't."

"You can't help them" Percy said, his body frozen with Riptide drawn in his hand "Pontus... he's bad news."

Hazel wanted to listen to them. She wanted to do the right thing, but doing the right thing isn't always the easy thing. The answer to her messy problems was literally in her hands. Last time she did the right thing, she spent seventy years in Asphodel. What could possibly happen if she fought the witches?

When Percy uttered those words, a sound came from one of the destroyed corners of the throne room. A man appeared before them. He was about forty or fifty with bright blue eyes and a brown hair and facial hair and he was slow clapping, in mockery of what Percy had just said.

"Spoken a lot like your father" He spoke in an assertive voice with a huge grin formed on his face.

"Thaumas!"


	40. The Sea Awakens

Percy tired quickly.

He must have been fighting Polybotes for hours now because his every muscle ached and his whole body begged him to stop, but he had to keep the giant distracted from leading the underwater army into the beach.

Polybotes was right about one thing: no god was around to help. Percy must have prayed to a zillion deity by now, all without success. With this sort of luck, Polybotes would win just because Percy was so tired.

 _Please,_ He begged. _Anyone who has their ears on: I just need someone to come finish him off, please._

For the millionth time, the giant thrust his trident at Percy, but he quickly deflected it with Riptide's blade. Polybotes' smile never wavered, nor his energy. He must have sensed how tired Percy was and was using it to his advantage.

And for the millionth time, no god answered his simple request. He just hoped the Fates weren't cruel enough to let him die now.

* * *

Thaumas stood in human form near Oceanus' throne, his eyes glowing with anticipation as he inspected the works of the sorceresses. Pasiphae was now teaching Hazel how to do the spell that would break out the primordial gods. At his side, at least two dozen telkhines formed ranks. Percy had always held a grudge towards those dog creatures since Mount St. Helens.

Percy couldn't begin to understand why Hazel would take part in this. There was no way she betrayed them or had done this without a reason. He kept faith that she would always do the right thing.

"What are you doing here?" Percy tried to struggle against Pasiphae's bonds "You serve Poseidon."

"Poseidon is a weakling!" His voice boomed across the deserted palace "He is the worst king I have ever seen rle this kingdom. When my father, Pontus, rises, he will take his rightful place on the throne and the seas will return to their former glory."

"You dirty little-" Percy wanted to charge the god with all his force "You fought alongside my dad in the Titan war!"

"To gain his trust," Thaumas beamed "and the trust of his kelp-headed son. You really think your father came up with the idea of banning you to the sea all by himself?"

"You knew you needed _me_ to break Pontus out." Percy gestured to the orb, where Hazel was now starting to chant with the other three sorceresses.

"After Poseidon placed my lovely curse on you," Thaumas sneered "All I had to do was send my precious Cetae and a sailing vessel to help on your little quest of bringing your sorceress friend to me."

Percy's heart raced as the flashes of blue grow stronger. Nico, Will and Frank were still stuck frozen while Thaumas' grin widened as he watched the scene brewing before them.

Hazel's chants added more power to the magic of the three sorceresses and soon enough the orb started breaking. Even from a few feet away, Percy could feel the tremble of the shattering glass. The seas around them suddenly felt more aggressive, as if they were on command to come down and drown everybody. Suddenly, it dawned on Percy that this might be the first quest he fails in.

From the crack in the the glass sphere, a waterfall came gushing down. In a few seconds, the entire throne room floor was drowned in four inches of salt water. Percy could feel it giving him more strength, but, unfortunately, not enough to break free.

Hazel had stopped speaking and stood there in a daze while the three sisters of doom gazed down on the water that was taking shape. Percy had seen two primordial gods develop a physical body before and it wasn't pretty.

The water seemed to multiply in quantity while it took a shape of a man about twenty feet tall. Percy's eyes traced his boots that were made of coral. A navy blue breastplate made entirely of scales. The sea water swished and turned as it solidified on the gods' head, forming a face of a middle aged man. He had a long beard and mustache made entirely of seaweed.

 _Awake!_ he opened his mouth, but his voice seemed to be coming from all around them, like the sea itself was talking rather than this shape of a man.

He opened his eyes to reveal sockets made entirely of the light blue color, the same color the orb was radiating before it shattered.

"Father." Thaumas knelt in front of the god, and the telkhines followed his example.

Percy was trying to find a way to get closer to the water. Maybe if he was submerged, Pasiphae's magic would deactivate or he would be strong enough to break it.

 _Thaumas,_ Pontus said. _You have done well._

Thaumas' grin widened as he accepted the compliment. Pontus took a few seconds to take in the scene.

 _A son of Poseidon in my presence?_ Pontus asked. _You must be the first_.

If Percy's legs weren't stuck, they would've collapsed at Pontus addressing him.

 _When your father took the throne of the seas,_ said the god _I had decided to take a slumber. I was awake for too long, so I made this sanctuary for my beloved wife and I. I was a fool. I did not know Poseidon would do this to my sea._

"My father is a great king." Percy felt obligated to defend Poseidon, even after everything he had done.

 _You father is incompetent!_ Pontus boomed. _In my day, all underwater creatures obeyed me and only me. I ruled with an iron fist and there was no need for you father's over complicated sea politics. If he cannot even have loyal subjects, how can he call himself a king?_

Percy didn't have an answer. For years, he had heard about undersea politics and how there was a specific way of how things ran in Poseidon's kingdom. It wasn't anything like the way Zeus ran heavens. Could Pontus be right about the weakness of his father's system?

 _Thaumas_ , Pontus said. _Where is my love?_

"Sir?" Thaumas looked up in confusion.

 _Thalassa_. The god roared. _Bring her to me!_

Thaumas gestured to the four witches. Percy had almost forgotten that they were in the room.

"Percy!" Will whispered. "His love."

"What?"

" _But first become one without love,"_ Will recited the lines of the prophecy "It was never about you, it was about Pontus."

His eyes darted to the left, where Pasiphae was. She looked uneasy, which wasn't an expression she usually displayed. Suddenly, everything clicked in Percy's brain.

"You can't do it." Percy told Pasiphae. "You can't free her."

 _What?!_ Pontus got angry.

"I didn't get it at first," Percy continued. "Why my heart ached every time I thought about Annabeth, but now I do. Look at Poseidon and Amphitrite, Oceanus and Tethys... even Pontus and Thalassa. They're the most successful marriages in history."

"Where are you going with this?" Thaumas demanded.

"Aphrodite emerged from the seas for a reason." Percy continued "It's because love is most powerful here, and you need love to wake the primordial goddess of the sea."

Pontus' ocean blue eyes gleamed as he listened carefully to what Percy was saying, while Thaumas' face trembled with rage.

"This- This is ridiculous." Thaumas said "Pasiphae, wake her!"

"Thaumas-"

"Just do it!" He commanded.

Pasiphae stared at him in disdain then returned to the half shattered orb. The four girls raised their hands again in concentration and resumed their chants. Unlike before, nothing happened.

 _The son of Poseidon is right._ Pontus said. _Thaumas, you have failed_.

Pontus raised his hand at the god of wonder and projected a powerful stream of water. Thaumas' body got dragged by the powerful force of water towards Pontus, until the god was part of Pontus' own body.

Percy took the chance of the distracted gods to think about his own jailbreak. He concentrated on the surrounding power of the ocean, willing it to come forward. Hopefully, Pasiphae's freeze didn't also include their powers.

Luckily, the ocean obeyed and it drowned Percy in his own cocoon of water, breaking the magical bonds that surrounded him. It felt good to be able to move his arms again, and he took the advantage to charge the immortal sorceresses.

Percy slashed his way across the three women. He projected water that knocked aside for a few minutes.

"Hazel," Percy turned "Help them break free."

"On it." Hazel smiled and ran forward to where their friends stood. Percy knew that Hazel's priorities were in the right place.

"You want me to turn you into a guinea pig again, Percy?" Circe regained her composure faster than her other sisters, and she raised her hand to cast a spell.

"What?" She yelled in frustration "Why isn't anything happening?"

"Hermes' multivitamins," Percy grinned "Can't leave home without 'em"

And with that, Percy charged. It only took him a few seconds to defeat a weaponless woman whose magic was useless. Her fellow ladies shortly followed her example and in no time, all three were knocked unconscious.

Percy ran for the orb and tried to move the thing, but it was like it was nailed to the sea floor. Pontus grew more impatient and tried to whack him with another water stream.

Percy dodged the gods' attempt and gestured to Frank and Nico to distract him. Frank picked up the signal. He transformed to a giant ten foot long dragon and flew around Pontus' face. Nico concentrated and summoned a dozen dead sailors that proceeded to attack the god of the sea.

"We need to move this." He said when Will, Nico and Hazel joined him.

"It's like you said," Hazel explained "Only love magic will move Thalassa's orb."


	41. The Captain Performs a Ceremony

_We could've chosen hatred and war. Instead we found acceptance and friendship._

Nico saw Reyna as a teenager, among hundreds of campers from both camps. She walked up to Nico, who was standing to one side in the shadows. She grabbed his hand and pulled him gently into the firelight.

 _We had one home,_ she said. _Now we have two._

She gave Nico a hug and the crowd roared with approval. Nico embraced the hug from his best friend, a luxury he has been deprived of for years. A tear flowed down his face but before he could tell her how much he had missed her, she dissolved into the shadows that crept up from around Nico.

 _Can you talk about anything other than Mythomagic?_ A voice scolded from behind.

Nico turned around and his heart almost leaped out of his chest. Before him was his sister. Not Hazel but Bianca Di Angelo. She looked exactly the same as he remembered. A floppy green cap that covered half of her face, dark silky hair that went down her back and olive skin that perfectly matched his.

She looked nervous. Her eyes darted from left to right, as if expecting the worst.

 _I'll give you Poseidon._ Nico shuffled his cards. _He has five thousand attack powers, but if attacked near water, it's like seven thousand. Just one round, please!_

The words didn't seem to be coming from Nico's own mouth, but rather like a recording on a phone. He remembered that moment clearly. This was merely a memory of the night the Manticore attacked them at Westover Hall.

 _Nico, there's something wrong_. She said. _Where's Mrs. Gottschalk?_

 _Kids,_ Dr. Thorn's creepy multiple colored eyes radiated from the shadows. _Come with me._

Bianca tried to defy him but the Manticore forced them to start walking towards a dark corridor. Nico's first instinct was to hold onto Bianca's hand in the darkness. With his hand in her warm palm, he felt ten times safer. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the memory of her while it lasted

He opened his eyes to find Will Solace's young face gazing down at him with concern. It dawned on Nico that he had forgotten how yellow Will's hair used to be when he was younger. Lately, with his aging body, it seemed more like the color of hay rather than strands of gold.

 _I've been dropping all these hints that I like you_. Will admitted. _And you never even noticed._

 _You- you like me?_ Nico hesitated. Till now, the idea of anyone liking him was unbelievable. How a perfect person like Will could have a crush on someone as appalling as Nico was one of the world's unsolvable mysteries.

Nico watched Will lean forward towards his face. He could still feel all the chemicals gushing around his body, forcing his stomach to twist in knots, his brain to short circuit and the blood overflow to his face. Will reached over with for Nico's cheek and embraced him with a kiss.

Everyone in the crowd cheered, but just as Will Solace pulled away, Nico's eyes felt heavy and his consciousness dissolved.

This time he didn't see a specific memory, but more like a rush of some old ones he had forgotten about: watching Percy take a dip in the Styx, approaching Will Solace in the infirmary for the first time, hugging Jason after his wedding, his proposal to Will, sitting with Reyna under a tree, kissing Hazel on her cheek.

"These are your most powerful weapons," A woman's figure appeared before him, forcing all the memories to fade. In the darkness, a regular mortal could have never seen her, but a child of the Underworld had a sharper vision that allowed him to see the subtle glow of her body heat.

Even though he couldn't see the details of her face, Nico knew she was beautiful by human standards, which meant she was a goddess

"Psyche?" Nico asked. "Where am I? Where's Piper?"

"Use those memories in the final battle and they could save many." She raised her arms and dissolved to nothingness.

Nico wished he knew what to do.

Staring at the orb, there was no doubt in his mind that if Thalassa woke today, it would start a lot of problems he'd rather not deal with right now. Percy was right about stealing the thing and transporting it somewhere away from Pontus' reach.

That was good in theory, but moving the orb would require some kind of love magic, which a child of the Underworld would know absolutely nothing about. Nico wished that Piper McLean had tagged along on their quest.

"What about a kiss?" Will asked "Isn't that love magic?"

"This isn't a Disney movie." Percy pointed out.

"Percy's right." Hazel said, still keeping an eye at dragon Frank who was in a losing battle with Pontus "We need something way more powerful."

For some reason, Nico remembered what Psyche had told him aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge. Ever since the encounter, he wanted to take heed of her instructions and listen to his soul. It made sense that as a judge of the Underworld, he should be able to communicate and learn about the souls, starting with his own.

Sadly, his stupid soul didn't want to be heard. Nico spent hours meditating and doing yoga. Even Will's ridiculous acupuncture didn't do the trick. If his soul was so desperate in contacting him, why is it giving him such a hard time in trying to be heard?

Looking at Will and Percy trying to come up with a plan, he wondered what drove Nico to kiss Percy in the first place. The son of Poseidon couldn't even compare to Will. Sure, he's cute, but Will will always have Nico's heart. The way his hand shakes when he uses his healing powers, the wide goofy grin that forms every time he sings, even down to his cute snoring when they sleep together. Everything about Will Solace made Nico fall more and more in love.

Suddenly, It didn't matter to him that Will's life was calm. Maybe when he was younger, Nico would have liked to be kept on his toes, a new monster attacking every second, go on quests, but it's like Nico's commitment issues are being resolved every time he thought about living with a person like Will for the rest of his life.

"Percy," Nico said "Look I'm sorry about what happened the other night."

"Is now the perfect time, Nico?" He looked like he was ready to strangle him.

"Yeah, it is." Nico insisted "I should have never kissed you. Will is the person who has always had my heart. It's always been him."

"You what?" Will's blue eyes stared Nico down in shock.

"I'm sorry." Nico pleaded "I- I was an idiot. I made the dumbest mistake of my life when I kissed Percy."

"You guys," Hazel's voice was trembling "Frank doesn't have a lot more time."

Sure enough, Frank's dragon form was bleeding from the many hits it got from the water god. The dozen sailors Nico had summoned were all gone now, leaving Frank battling Pontus alone.

"Marry us." Will demanded Percy.

"What?" Nico blurted, his stomach dropped to the floor.

"Marry us." Will said "You're a captain of ship and we need love magic."

Percy hesitated, trying to come up with an impromptu wedding ceremony as fast as possible. When he'd started, Nico had sworn to himself he'd remember every word, but all he was really conscious of were Will's bright blue eyes smiling into his, his sweet voice reciting his vows, and the warmth of his hands as he held them throughout the ceremony.

Nico knew he spoke from his heart when he said his vows but, in reality, he knew he wouldn't remember a thing of what he had said. He just knew he spoke from the heart and that following his vows would come subconsciously to him.

Everything happened so fast that in no time at all Percy had declared them man and husband and then Nico felt Will's warm lips against his.

"Percy." Hazel voice trembled. She pointed at the orb which now floating above its resting place. It was no longer shattered or cracked but Nico could still feel its immense power radiating.

Suddenly, Frank's dragon body was slammed into the sea floor. The shock transformed him back to human.

Hazel screamed and ran to his aid. Nico quickly snatched the orb in his palms and joined them at the watery feet of the sea god.

 _Nice try, son of war_. Pontus said vibrated from the ocean floating abor. _But there's no match for the rage of the sea_.

He raised his hand and before he could close the air bubble that kept them alive, Nico concentrated and melted into the pool of shadows, taking his friends and the orb in his palms with no idea where he'd emerge.

The next thing Nico heard was choking.

He struggled to open his eyes only to see Percy Jackson's body being dragged to a body of water.

When Nico got his bearings, he could see that he was back home at the canoe lake. It was night time and a few dozen young campers were trying to help the choking son of Poseidon.

Will helped Nico up. Surprisingly, he didn't feel drained like he usually does when he shadow travels large distances. Hazel must have helped him out.

"Frank!" Hazel shrieked. Nico and Will turned around to see the son of Mars laid on his back unconscious. His clothes were tattered, nasty cuts and bruises were found all over his skin and his eyes were still closed.

Will ordered some of the kids to help transport Frank's body to the Big House.

Hazel stroked Frank's short hair and muttered something under her breath. Perhaps a prayer. If Nico knew one thing, it was that Hazel was in worse shape than Frank.

"It's not your fault." Nico placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah it is," Hazel moved away as a few campers carried Frank away. "I got Frank hurt because I wanted a baby"

"No," Nico insisted "You didn't. Everyone makes mistakes."

"I'd like to see one of your mistakes wake a primordial god and kick start an apocalypse."

"She was charm speaking you, Hazel" Nico lied. "You couldn't have done anything about it."

"How do you know?"

"I just do." Nico looked into her golden eyes, hoping she won't catch his lie. In truth, Pasiphae wasn't a charm speaker. She just really knew how to manipulate her victims, but Nico thought it would kill Hazel if she knew she betrayed her friends or gotten Frank hurt on purpose.

Hazel hugged Nico and ran off to the Big House after Frank and Will.

Nico looked back to see Jason and Annabeth arriving to the scene. They were both in their pajamas, though their faces told Nico neither of them was sleeping. Jason greeted Nico while Annabeth got closer to the lake where Percy lay.

"Camp give you any trouble?" Nico asked.

"It did," Jason admitted "But Annabeth came to help."

Nico was glad to see those two come out of their depression cocoons "Well you might want to ask her to stay a little while longer"

"Another quest?"

"More like a honeymoon."


	42. The Start of Something Big

Everyone gathered at the Big House for war reports... at least everyone that could still stand.

"I don't get it," Emily said "Why would they retreat?"

"Maybe dad slowed them down." Charlie suggested.

"Dad's here?" Luke eyes widened.

"Percy isn't strong enough for that." Calypso said "Tartarus is leading this army. He needs time to regenerate after each fight. He's not comfortable with his physical form, especially away from his pit. Besides, dawn is breaking so that makes Nyx and Erebus weaker."

Jason tried to pay attention to the few announcements that everyone reported, but in reality he couldn't stop staring at Tom. It took all of his will power not to make a scene in front of everyone and go hug him. Being in the same room with him had overwhelmed Jason. For so long, seeing Tom was a mistake, a taboo. His brain was so used to not being able to ever see Tom that it still didn't process the fact that Jason was standing in the same room as him.

"Where are the gods?" Tom asked "Tartarus' first chess piece was the Titans. I'm betting his next attack are Giants."

"Incapacitated." Chiron said grimly. He picked up a bronze goblet from the snack table. He tossed water onto the hot plate. Steam billowed up, making a rainbow in the fluorescent lights. Chiron fished a golden drachma out of his pouch, tossed it through the mist, and muttered, "O Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, show us Mount Olympus."

The mist shimmered and Jason saw the familiar sight of the eternal city, except that it was completely trashed. Statues were broken, palaces were turned into debris. Above, figures of pure light zoomed across the sky, shooting at each other with more balls of light.

"Are those the gods?" Sam said. He was a splitting image of his mother with wavy shoulder length caramel colored hair and almond shaped eyes.

"Yes," Chiron answered "In constant fighting. Eris, goddess of discord, among many of her siblings have turned the Olympians against each other."

"We need to send someone there." Jason announced, his eyes fixated on Tom "A good delegate who can try to get the gods to their senses and get back here before night time."

"Very well," Chiron regarded Jason, as if reading his thoughts "You and Tom Grace take the lead to Olympus."

Before Jason could enjoy the task Chiron had given him, Frank opened the basement door. The entire Big House game room suddenly turned the color of blue.

His face was scared and his eyes were wide "We have a problem."

* * *

Jason had never changed a diaper.

He's a father to a two month old baby but he'd never learned how to change diapers and frankly he wasn't missing out on anything major because changing Luke's diapers was traumatizing enough for one life time.

Living with Annabeth was surprisingly great. They both held shared the positions of co-activities director at camp: Jason took turns teaching sword fighting while Annabeth taught Ancient Greek. The campers didn't cause much trouble with Annabeth around. Despite what Jason had heard all his life, he will never be the natural leader and planner Annabeth is.

At home, Jason tried his best to help around, especially with Annabeth being pregnant. She got morning sickness almost every day so Jason felt obligated to wake Luke up, change his diapers, clean him up and send him off to Juniper's for the day. Then he would pick him up just in time for the camp fire sing along.

Every night, Annabeth and Jason hung out at the living room. They would read a book, organize schedules and do whatever they have to do to prepare for the next day, then they would call it a day and head to their separate rooms, but tonight went a little differently.

"Pregnancy sucks." She laid down on the couch, placing her hands on her forehead in exasperation. Jason brought out a blanket and placed it on her.

"What is it?" He sat down near her "Cravings? Nausea?"

"Hormones." She replied. "It's like all I want to do is cry."

Jason didn't need anymore explanation. Everyone knew what pregnant women go through and with Annabeth's current situation, the usual expectation was that she would do nothing but cry all day.

But this was Annabeth. She's the strongest woman Jason knew.

"Hey, if there's anything I can-"

"Please lay down next to me." She said, her intense grey eyes almost begging.

He didn't think twice about it. Jason made himself comfortable near her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. A few years ago, he would have thought this was absolutely wrong but even though it's only been a few days since they've been roommates, Jason could feel that he has this unspoken connection with Annabeth now.

" _The cursed destroyer sails the angry seas_ " Annabeth muttered "Percy's name means the destroyer and he's cursed. Angry seas might mean Pontus being angry."

"Are you talking about the prophecy?"

"Tell me that interpretation isn't right." Annabeth stared at him.

Jason hesitated. He couldn't argue because that interpretation made perfect sense "Annabeth-"

" _The wife holds the treasure with unease._ " She continued "I'm the wife... and I'm holding a baby. With unease. Jason this prophecy is starting."

"I still haven't met Tom" Jason pointed out.

"Maybe Apate was bluffing." Annabeth sank back into the couch "Maybe you and Tom have nothing to do with this prophecy."

He thought about this theory. It did cross Jason's mind once but he just always told himself he wasn't willing to risk it, but hearing it from Annabeth changed things. What if Apate _was_ lying? What if it was just a trick to torture him? After all, she was the goddess of trickery.

" _The void devours the son of Rome_ " Jason recited "I just have this gut feeling that the son of Rome is either Tom or me."

"Piper was the guru of gut feelings." Annabeth shook her head with a smile "I miss her."

"Yeah..." Jason didn't continue. Suddenly at the mention of Piper's name, Annabeth's cinnamon smell became more intoxicating, filling Jason's heart with more grief. As much as he wanted to meet Tom, he missed Piper a hundred times more. The way she radiated warmth, her sweet voice as she sang in the shower, their kisses.

Oh gods, the kisses. Jason would give anything to get to kiss her one more time.

He shifted his body, unconsciously inching closer to Annabeth. She looked up, her deep grey eyes studying him, like they always do. He remembered looking into Annabeth's eyes for the first time, when his memories were gone. They were so intense, full of thought and pain. Right now, in this room, they looked exactly the same, heavily reminding Jason of the day he had met Piper.

Jason could never explain the logic of his next move but suddenly he leaned in and kissed her lips softly.

Annabeth didn't flinch. She didn't reject him, as if she was expecting this move. He wanted to keep going. He wanted to cling to everything that reminded him of Piper... but this wasn't her.

Jason pulled away, his lips barely hovering over Annabeth's. His eyes met her guilty grey eyes.

"I'm sorry" He whispered "I shouldn't have."

"I shouldn't have either" Annabeth turned her face away. "You always were a mirror image of him"

"Percy." Jason understood.

"No." Annabeth sighed "Luke- The original Luke. You guys are so much alike"

"How?" Jason asked, curious to find out what made that guy tick. Around Camp Half Blood, you couldn't go anywhere without hearing Luke Castellan's name. He was a legend.

"He was... ambitious" Annabeth sniffled. Jason didn't dare look at her, but he knew that she was on the verge of breaking down "He had more ambition than any child of Athena, and that's _our_ thing. He was the best swordsman I've ever seen, even better than Percy."

"He was Percy's teacher" Jason noted.

"Right." Annabeth choked back a sob "But most importantly, Luke was the most selfless person I've ever met. He was always ready to give himself up for the greater good. It even came down to giving himself up for Kronos' rise."

She paused, clearly crying now. Jason still didn't look, but he wrapped his arms around her tighter.

"That's why I see so much of him in you." Her eyes met his "You are loyal and- and selfless beyond any measure. You gave up your family to save the world, and he gave up his life for the same cause."

Jason tried to digest that. It wasn't that Jason was a stranger to Luke's story or people recognizing him as a hero, but being compared to him was new. It felt almost honorable to be compared to one of camp's greatest heroes, despite everything he may have done in his lifetime.

"Luke," He said "I heard stories that you used to love-"

Jason was cut off but the noise of people shuffling around, which wasn't usually a sound heard after curfew.

Together, Jason and Annabeth instantly went outside and followed the campers to the canoe lake where a certain team had come back from their quest. Percy was being placed in the water, while Frank was passed out on the floor with Will, Nico and Hazel at his side.

Jason immediately ran to the campers and ushered them to take heed of Will's orders to transport Frank to the Big House, while Annabeth sat on the shore of the lake near Percy. Jason's heart filled up with a mixture of emotions: guilt, regret and maybe even a twinge of jealousy.

Percy was cursed, but at least he has something to look forward to. A light at the end of a twelve year tunnel: A chance to be with his wife and kids for a day. Jason wished he had something like that.

"Camp give you any trouble?" Nico asked, breaking Jason's happy train of thought.

"It did," Jason admitted "But Annabeth came to the rescue."

Nico smiled "Well you might want to ask her to stay a little while longer"

"Another quest?"

"More like a honeymoon." Nico shrugged sarcastically.

Without a thought, Jason immediately drowned Nico in a bear hug. He couldn't believe that Nico was married... The son of Hades that once scared the bejesus out of everyone he met was married.

"GRACE" He yelled "AIR, BONES, PERSONAL SPACE.

"I didn't even know you guys were engaged" He finally let go of Nico, who looked ready to pass out along with Frank.

"We were going to tell you, but we had to use love magic to break the bond that anchored Thalassa's orb to the sea floor."

"Huh?" Jason tilted his head in total confusion.

"I'll explain later." Nico turned around to see Percy and Annabeth talking "I hate to break their conversation but..."

He looked down and produced a glass sphere. It was a little bit bigger than his palm and it was sea blue color. Even standing a feet away from it, Jason could feel its immense power.

They walked over to the shore of the lake where Percy and Annabeth seemed to have solemn conversation.

"Guess the quest is over." Nico said, gesturing to the orb.

" _The sea's intentions shall unravel_." Percy muttered "Basically, Pontus wants the throne back."

" _Together, the sisters raise. You can only cause delays_ " Annabeth continued "We know who the sisters are now."

"And stealing Thalassa is definitely going to slow Pontus down" Jason said. "He won't just leave her in there He'll want to look for her."

" _But first become one without love._ " Percy swam forward "It wasn't talking about me giving up my heart, it's about Pontus being separated from his wife."

" _The king and the healer go back, in fear of the monsters that will track_ " Annabeth finished "Will and Nico are back home with the orb, and so that means..."

No one answered. If Pontus was indeed intending to search for Thalassa, there was no doubt that monsters will be piling outside the borders at camp, ready to storm in and search for Thalassa.

"I'll take it to my dad." Percy suggested "He'll know what to do."

"No," Annabeth snapped "Pontus is the sea, he'll know where you are and where she is."

"Then Olympus." Nico offered.

"Not an option either." Jason said "Pontus has a lot of allies on land. Even taking the orb outside of the border could attract them."

Everyone exchanged looks, knowing exactly what the only decision could mean.

"We keep her here..." Percy sighed.

"I don't see another option." Annabeth's shoulders slumped.

Jason took one more look straight into the glass sphere that held the life force of the sea, knowing too well that this was the beginning of a lot of problems for both himself and everyone who lived at camp.


	43. The California Road Trip

**[Time jump, yay! Just a note: I do not ship Jason and Annabeth at all. Percabeth and Jasper all the way here, but I'm just making some twists and turns in the story to make it more exciting and realistic than just a loyal Annabeth waiting for her husband to return from sea or a Jason who can never love again. If i do that, it'll get way too boring. Anyways im almost to the present and we'll find out how this final prophecy is gonna unfold soon.]**

"It just started glowing for no reason."

The entire Big House gathering room turned the color of ocean blue. The smell of salt filled the air. Everyone started murmuring about what that could mean, but unfortunately, no one had an answer.

"Is she waking?" Frank asked nervously

"No," Chrion shook his head "Thalassa needs magic."

"Maybe because it was around Hazel for so long." Miranda Gardiner suggested.

"That doesn't make sense." Calypso answered "Unless, of course, if Hazel used magic."

Calypso shot Frank a look of suspicion. Leo remembered all too well when Will Solace told him about how Hazel had briefly betrayed her team to get a baby making potion. Nico then explained to everyone that it was charmspeak and Hazel would have never betrayed them if she wasn't under Pasiphae's influence.

Leo agreed. Hazel was too pure to join a sorority of witches but Leo knew charmspeak. When Medea had him under her influence, he didn't have an ounce of will power. Besides, if Pasiphae did charmspeak Hazel, why would she use the potion to lure her in? She could've just... you know... charmspoke her.

But, Leo decided to keep his thoughts to himself.

"Tom," Chiron announced "You two get going. We'll deal with the issue of Thalassa's orb."

"Yes, Chiron." Tom said, and for the first time, he and his dad took a walk together.

Then, as if on cue, everyone in the Big House started speaking over each other, every demigod shouted orders and demands at one another with no one carrying them out. It was truly chaotic. Leo knew they needed guidance, a person with high authority, but with Percy, Annabeth and Jason gone, who can take control of a situation like this?

"Tio," Luke turned to him "This is chaotic."

"They need a leader." Leo patted Luke on the back "Go get 'em, tiger"

"I- I'm not a leader." Luke's voice trembled "I wouldn't even know what to say. Emily is a praetor... or you - you can lead them."

"Kid, you don't want me in charge" Leo assured him "I crack too many jokes when I'm uncomfortable. And Romans are too serious. Emily will just start talking about honor and bravery and all that... noble stuff."

Luke looked like he wanted to argue but instead he just took a deep breath then accepted his task. He climbed on top of the ping pong table and banged his sword against his shield.

Every demigod stopped talking, trying to look at the nineteen year old kid who just caused a scene.

"Aunt Rachel," Luke said with confidence in his voice "Try to find out what you can about Thalassa's orb in the Sibylline books or through Delphic powers"

"On it!"

"And Aunt Calypso," She continued "Use whatever magic you have to seal her in till Hazel comes back."

Calypso nodded and the girls went to work down in the basement. Amazingly, no one questioned Luke. Even if they didn't know who Luke Jackson was, they couldn't deny that the kid has the charisma of a leader.

"Anyone with healing powers or medical knowledge," Luke continued, louder now for everyone to hear now "Head to Aesculapius' Temple. They need whatever help they can get. Rest of you, rotate between getting some rest and watching the borders. We don't know when Tartarus will strike again, but we have to be ready when he does."

"We barely survived his first attack, Luke" Peter said "We can't hold for much longer."

"Tartarus keeps regenerating monsters faster than a factory." Candice pointed out. "And we're losing friends left and right."

"A week from today," Luke shouted "I'm going to be at home with _both_ of my parents. Think about where you'll be a week from now and use that to fuel your courage. Last night was tough, but tonight... tonight Tartarus is sending his full invasion force at our camp- but you know what? It doesn't matter how many monsters he sends. If we fight bravely, we will win. FOR OLYMPUS!"

* * *

"Are you comfortable, mamacita?" He asked "Bathroom break? Water? Food?"

Leo hated cars. He hated driving them. He hated being in them. He even hated the feeling of car sickness he got when he was in them, but unfortunately, he had to use them.

If it were up to him, he would have never left Festus at Camp Half Blood, but Leo's siblings needed his frined's help and besides, Festus wouldn't be too happy stuck in Leo's garage all day. He'd rather be out in the open, torching things up.

Calypso sat at the passenger's seat next to Leo and she looked absolutely breathtaking with her huge belly resting on her lap and her swollen fingers tapping to the beat of the Fall Out Boys song on the radio. Leo held his hand on her bump to see if he could feel another kick.

"Leo, I'm nine months pregnant, not diagnosed with cancer." Calypso complained.

"Hey, I'm just making sure." He pulled his hand away from her and placed it back on the wheel.

"I lied," Calypso readjusted herself uncomfortably on the seat "I need to pee, can we stop?"

"We're almost out of Berkeley" Leo explained "Hold it for a little longer."

" _Your_ son and _your_ daughter are using my bladder like a squeeze toy" Calypso said "If I pee on this car seat, _you're_ cleaning it."

Leo decided to take that risk.

He zoomed across Grover Shafter freeway and took the first exit before the Caldecott tunnel. After fifteen minutes and lots of complaining, they made it into Camp Jupiter's borders where Calypso could finally use the bathroom.

The Principia looked exactly the same as it did the last time Leo visited. A two-story wedge of white marble with a columned portico like a really old bank with Roman guards standing out in front of it. Over the doorway, hung the big purple banner with the Roman logo on it.

Inside, Leo immediately took notice of his friends. The new proud parents, Hazel and Frank, showed baby Emily around like she was a prize. Leo also spotted baby Charlotte in Annabeth's arms.

So many old faces were also in crowds: Sherman, Michael Kahale, the Stoll brothers, Clarisse, Dakota, Pollux and Valentina. It was like one bad reunion.

"Welcome," A man's voice boomed across the hall. A guy stood at the back wall where a display of banners and wooden poles studded with bronze medals and in the center was the eagle standard. He was definitely no older than sixteen, with purple hair in a ponytail and a praetor cloak that perfectly matched her hair. "You might not know me, but my name is Jet, son of Arcus and current praetor of Rome and we have called this meeting to ask for your help."

He continued to ramble on about the pressing issues of Thalassa's location being discovered and monsters threatening to enter Camp Half Blood... blah blah blah.

"Clarisse had a kid." Jason whispered. He wore an orange shirt and was carrying one year old Luke in one arm.

"No way!" Leo whispered back, starting up their regular gossip session.

"Yes way. They named her Silena" He replied "And Miranda and Sherman over there: two months pregnant. That's why they're rushing the wedding."

"Man," Leo shook his head."No wonder they sent out another save the date."

"I heard Drew is _freaking out_ because it's so close to hers." Jason readjusted his grip on Luke.

"And so this meeting's purpose" Jet announced, distracting Leo and Jason from their conversation "Is that we want to ask veterans for their help. You are more experienced than we are when it comes to ancient forces attacking our lands. We will need most of you to stay at Half Blood Hill, train demigods in combat and take guard duty at the borders. We can't do this without your help."

"Count me in!" Clarisse shouted.

"Me too." Jake Mason yelled.

"Us too!" Travis put his arm around Katie and patted his brother on the back.

Leo glanced at Calypso and wondered if he can give up so much. Camp Half Blood was his home, and obviously they would need a genius engineer at their disposal, but Leo's life wasn't in New York. It was in Texas... a quiet life at that.

"You in too right, Valdez?" Nyssa asked. Suddenly, Leo realized that everyone was looking at him. Even Calypso was smiling and nodding her head encouragingly.

 _I'm a demigod_. He thought. _Quiet lives aren't part of our job descriptions_.

"We all know you guys would be dead without me" Leo pumped his fist "Let's do this!"

Everyone cheered. The praetors went ahead and closed the meeting, leaving everyone with the happy thought that lunch was being served at the Mess Hall.

Rachel was happy to help escort Calypso to the bathroom again while Leo made himself comfortable with a few tacos and enchiladas.

He sat with Jason, who still had Luke in his arms, and Annabeth. who was breastfeeding Charlotte while devouring a plate of spaghetti.

"So how are you guys doing with the whole roommate thing?"

"Awesome, actually." Jason said "Nico and Will are so busy, between helping Percy out and finding a house to buy before they send out applications to adoption agencies. We basically took over camp."

"And the whole two kids thing isn't getting in the way?" Leo asked. Truthfully, he was asking because he was also wondering how parenting life is going to be like. He never had a dad, and he barely remembers his mom. He was terrified about being a father, about screwing up. He just hoped that Calypso will be so great that his twin kids forgot he existed.

"I plan out every day so no, not really." Annabeth looked down at Charlotte. "Di Immorales! This is my last shirt."

"So much for planning." Jason laughed "I have one in my backpack"

"You're a life saver" Annabeth kissed Jason's cheek then grabbed his backpack and ran out of the mess hall.

"So you and Chase?" Leo wiggled his eyebrows.

"How old are you?" Jason asked, then took a bite of his sandwich.

"I'm just saying," Leo raised his hand in surrender "You two are living with each other, raising kids with each other..."

"And we're married to other people." Luke started babbling while nibbling on a piece of bread in Jason's lap.

"Dude, she makes you happy." Leo insisted "I mean Piper's moved on. Her American Indian movie is a big hit, and every gossip site can't shut up about her secret affair with Darce Montgomery."

"You read gossip sites?"

"It's a guilty pleasure. Point is: when are _you_ going to move on?" To make Leo's point, Luke looked up at Jason and said dada.

Jason sighed "I kissed her."

"Dude!" Leo exclaimed, but was quickly shut off by Jason.

"Keep it down!" He snapped "It was only once like a year ago and we haven't talked about it since."

"But-"

"I can't do it." Jason looked down "I still love Piper. She loves Percy and he'll come back to her in eleven years."

"Eleven years, man." Leo insisted. "Just tell me that you'll at least talk to her about that kiss."

"If that'll shut you up..."

Leo made a gesture of sealing his lips when Annabeth walked back to the table. She had Charlotte in her arms and was wearing Jason's shirt which fit her a little too big.

"So, Leo" Annabeth said "Where are you going to be staying?"

Leo didn't understand the question so he made a gesture with his head.

"You're coming back to Half Blood Hill." Annabeth explained "Jason and I were thinking that you can move into his place and Hazel and Frank take mine."

"Please, Chase" Leo scoffed "I can easily whip up a pimped out pad in minutes."

"It's not like we're using them." She shrugged

"I'll talk to Calypso about it," Leo appreciated their offer and thanked them for it.

After lunch, everyone started to go back to their homes in order to make preparations to pack and move to Long Island. Everyone except Leo.

He'd asked Calypso to stay with Hazel and Frank until he was done running his errand. He didn't want her tagging along.

Leo went back to his car and started driving. In no time, the Berkeley skyline turned into Los Angeles and he found his car parked outside the main door of a two story mansion.

He bypassed the cheap mortal security system then parked in the driveway. Before he got the chance to knock on the door, it opened to reveal his best friend's old face. She dropped the white trash bag that was in her hand "Leo?"

Piper looked exactly the same she always had: beautiful in a non intentional way, with a black sweatshirt over a pair of jeans and flip flops. Her hair was longer and her eyes were sparkling with a million colors.

Instantly, Leo hugged her as tightly as he'd ever hugged anyone in his life. He kissed the top of her head which smelled faintly of cinnamon cookies. In truth he'd missed her. He missed her so much he couldn't express it in words. She stayed in his embrace for at least a few minutes before she finally pulled away.

"What are you doing here?" She asked as she gripped his arms, as if not believing he was actually there.

He shrugged. "Missed you, beauty queen."

She invited him into the living room where they sat down and chatted about their lives. Leo caught her up on everything that was going on before she left, except of course, Jason.

"Gods, Annabeth must be a mess." Piper moved a strand of hair out of her face.

"She's doing better," Leo explained "With Charlotte and Luke around, and running camp. She barely has any time to be by herself."

"And you," She said smiling "You're gonna be a daddy."

"Yeah, it's-" Leo was cut off by the sound of a crying baby. Piper excused herself and got up to the room in the back. Not too long afterwards, Leo joined her. His ADHD would never allow him to sit still in an empty living room for too long.

Inside were walls of blue, Legos and toys in every corner, and in the middle a white crib. Besides the crib stood Piper with Tommy, who was no longer crying, in her hands.

Leo never met Jason as a baby, but if he had to guess how he looked like, it would have been like Tommy. His shiny close-cropped blond hair that looked nearly identical to Jason's. His multicolored eyes examined Leo with an interest. He raised one hand, reaching in Leo's direction for a moment, and then reached back to touch Piper's chest and mutter "mama".

"Tommy," She held his tiny hands "I'd like you to meet my best friend."

Tommy's eyes studied Leo for a few moments then Piper handed him to Leo. He carefully carried him from under his arms and looked closely into his eyes. Leo could spend the whole day trying to figure out what color they were as they swished and changed from brown to green to lightning blue.

"Hey buddy," Leo said "I'm your Tio Leo. I'm sorry that I haven't visited till now."

Leo couldn't help think that Tommy was about the same age as Luke. If situations were different, there was no doubt those two would have made a good duo.

"I don't know if your mom told you," Leo continued "But you- we... we're really special, and if I come here too often, I'll put you in danger, man, so please don't be mad at me because I don't visit... Just know that your Tio loves you very much."

"Tio" Tommy placed his hand on Leo's chest, which led Leo to almost spontaneous combustion but his excitement were shut off after taking a look at Piper.

"Don't lie to me," Piper said glumly, her face dark "Is Jason ever going to come back to us?"

Leo took a deep breath "Jason's a good guy..."

"I know that." She snapped, her voice shaky "But.. is he coming back?"

"No." Leo said with difficulty "He's not."


	44. The Dreams

Before they reached the camp border, Tom and Jason stopped near the Athena Parthenos, distracted by the sound of a loud cheer coming from The Big House.

"Sounds like they're having a good time. I don't think we've ever met." Tom's kaleidoscopic eyes met Jason's and he held out his hand "I'm Tom Grace, praetor of Rome,"

"And legacy of Jupiter and Aphrodite." Jason continued, his breath getting heavier "I've heard about you."

Tom grinned, baring a perfect smile. Jason's heart ached for the years he spent not appreciating and enjoying that smile. "And you are?"

Jason hesitated. For almost twenty years, he had dreamed of this moment, imagined it in his head, but now that it was here, he felt so nervous. Jason could forgive Jupiter for being an absent dad because he had a full time job as the ruler of the universe, but what excuse did Jason have?

"I- uh..." Jason gulped, his hands were shaking as he gripped Tom's hands "I'm... John."

"John?" Tom raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"John Green." The name just slipped out Jason's mouth. He didn't know where it had come from, but he wasn't ready for revealing his identity to Tom quite yet.

"Like the writer?"

"Exactly." Jason said "But I'm not a writer. I'm a son of Aeolus."

"Master of the wind." Tom nodded appreciatively. "Ran into him a few years ago on a quest. He held a grudge against me for something my dad did."

"Your dad?"

"I never met him." Tom's tone turned somber "My mom always told me he was a great man, but I never met him."

"I'm sorry." Jason's chest turned heavier.

"It's not your fault." Tom assured him "So, do you want to take a car or...?"

"If the gods are fighting, it would be harder to get to Olympus through the Empire State Building elevator" Jason asked. "Can you fly?"

"Fly?" He asked, as if he never heard of this concept before.

"Legacy of Jupiter." Jason said "Just thought you could."

"I've never tried, actually." Tom shrugged "I always thought it was a wind god thing."

Jason smiled "Kid, your grandfather is the king of the skies. Come on, I'll teach you."

* * *

"You poisoned Thalia's tree." Percy uttered. He looked young. Even younger than when Jason first met him in New Rome, with his hair shaggier than usual, crooked teeth and a less athletic physique.

In front of him, a blonde college aged guy sighed. "Right to the point, eh? Okay, sure I poisoned the tree. So what?"

"How could you?" Annabeth sounded so angry she looked like she was going explode. "Thalia saved your life! Our lives! How could you dishonor her—"

"I didn't dishonor her!" He snapped, suddenly making Jason realize this was the infamous Luke Castellan. "The gods dishonored her, Annabeth! If Thalia were alive, she'd be on my side."

"Liar!" Annabeth yelled in protest.

"Soon we will be ready to storm Camp Half-Blood. And after that, Olympus itself. All we need is your help."

Around Luke, the sky turned ten shades darker. Jason looked to his side but instead of Annabeth, he saw Thalia gazing at Luke, with eyes full of pain. "You aren't Luke. I don't know you anymore."

"Yes, you do, Thalia," he pleaded. His voice was weaker and his face paler than before "Please. Don't make me... Don't make him destroy you."

"Luke," Annabeth's voice vibrated from across the room. Jason turned to the other side and found Annabeth sword-to-knife against Luke "I understand now. You have to trust me."

"Luke Castellan is dead!" He replied "His body will burn away as I assume my true form!"

"Your mother," Annabeth grunted. "She saw your fate."

"Service to Kronos!" He roared, his voice harsher and more powerful. His eyes the color of pure gold. "This is my fate."

"No!" Annabeth insisted. Her eyes were tearing up. Jason noticed that her arm was bandaged and she was badly hurt "That's not the end, Luke. The prophecy: she saw what you would do. It applies to you!"

"I will crush you, child!" He bellowed.

"You won't," Annabeth said. "You promised. You're holding Kronos back even now."

"LIES!" He pushed again and this time Annabeth lost her balance. With his free hand, Luke struck her face, and she slid backward. He loomed over Annabeth, his sword raised. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

"Family, Luke. You promised." She croaked, her eyes watery.

"Jason?" A voice seemed to come from far away. Jason could feel his own eyes blinking... it was only a dream. Annabeth's face looked down on him with a smile. "Morning, sleepy head."

He got up in his bed next to Annabeth. She was in her pajamas and, as always, with a book in her hand. She definitely wasn't the same young Annabeth from his dream. Her hair, although still blonde and in a ponytail, looked older and empty of life. Her eyes, still startlingly grey, but surrounded by wrinkles.

In many ways, she's changed, but in more ways, the forty-five year old woman next to him was still the same Annabeth from his dreams: The same courage, the same strength, and the same eyes that held more pain that they could endure.

Jason straightened himself, leaned over and kissed her. "Good morning."

This morning was pretty much like every morning. He took shower, ate breakfast at the Zeus table with Alexa, Kiara and Omar. Later, he led lava wall activities and afterwards he ran the Zeus' cabin lessons for controlling wind spirits.

In the summer, the Zeus cabin was consisted of about nine campers but since it was October, only three of them remained year round, but aerokinesis wasn't limited to sons of Zeus. Wren, son of Boreas, was there along with one of Jason's favorite students: Sam Valdez.

His ability to control the winds obviously came from his mother, and lucky for him, he also inherited her good looks. Even for a ten year old, girls his age had enormous crushes on him.

And speaking of girls who have crushes on Sam, Emily usually spent the year at Camp Half Blood with her parents, even though she was raised to be a Roman. Jason didn't run into her often, but he always saw her laughing and talking at the Ares tables. Even at a young age, she was popular and outgoing, definitely unlike Frank and Hazel when they were her age.

On the other hand, Candice, was absolutely nothing like her twin brother. From her fire immunity to her sense of humor, it was as if Leo had somehow managed to create a female clone of himself. Jason barely even saw her around camp because she spent all of her time working in the forges. No one would have guessed Sam and Candice were twins if they didn't introduce themselves as such.

In the distance, Jason could see cabin three's hydrokinetic exercises. Alexander, the cabin head, was showing them basic wave manipulation. His young star pupil, Charlie, perfectly imitated the move. Needless to say, she was the most powerful of the group, much like her dad

Her brother, of course, didn't join the lesson. It seemed as though all Luke wanted to learn was swordsmanship. Even in his free time, he was in the arena cutting heads off the practice automatons. He didn't have the same control over water as his sister nor his mother's insane intelligence, but he was definitely strong in his own unique way.

After wind lessons, Jason usually headed out for lunch at the dinning pavilion but today went a little differently.

"Hey," Annabeth interrupted him mid-teaching then gestured for him to talk with her privately.

"Guys," He told his students "Practice your flying till I come back."

They strayed a little further from the crowd. Usually, Jason and Annabeth didn't show the affectionate side of their relationship to the public. They figured it wouldn't be the wisest thing for people to know that they were seeing each other, especially because word travels here faster than your average camp.

"Have lunch with me today." She ordered. "I made sandwiches. We can eat them by the beach."

"What's the occasion?" Jason raised his eyebrow.

"I want to spend time with you." She gave him a smile then quickly ran off, leaving him to wonder what she has planned.

After activities time was wrapped up, Jason snuck to Long Island beach where Annabeth waited for him with a plate of sandwiches, juice boxes and brownies on top of a picnic blanket. She was wearing her regular orange camp T-shirt and jeans. Her tan arms and legs seemed to glow in the sunlight. Her blond hair swept over her shoulders. Around her neck hung two leather cords full of colorful beads.

"So," Jason cupped her cheek and kissed her as he sat down "You going to tell me what this all for?"

"I can't make us a nice lunch?" She smiled, but it didn't seem genuine. Jason could tell that she was thinking about something, and it wasn't pleasant. That tended to happen a lot with Annabeth. After all, Jason's girlfriend was a daughter of Athena and pretty much the smartest human being to walk the earth.

"What's wrong?" He demanded, sounding more serious. She tried to mask herself with another fake smile, but even she could tell it wasn't working anymore.

"Tomorrow..." She sighed "Tomorrow is the twenty second."

Jason was didn't understand why such an arbitrary date bothered her so much so he shook his head in confusion.

"It's my anniversary." She was no longer smiling.

"Our anniversary is in February." Jason said in disbelief, though he knew exactly what _this_ anniversary was.

"Jason..." She sniffed "You... I... We knew this was going to end."

He wanted to argue. He wanted to yell. Annabeth wasn't his soul mate, but with her, he felt at home. With her, he was a father figure, a partner... a person with purpose.

"I wanted us to have a nice last day," She touched his hand.

"What about camp?" He asked hopelessly.

"Nico and Will are coming back." She said, seeming as though she had thought of the entire thing. "And I'll be here in New Athens. You're not going to be alone."

Jason stood up, unable to face her. He didn't know why he was so angry but he knew it wasn't at her.

It definitely wasn't at Annabeth.

It was at the world. Maybe it was because he was jealous of her... or maybe because he was going to miss his her so much. Eleven years is a long time to have been with someone, and to have to return to the way he used to be without her... well, saying it would be difficult is an understatement.

"We... we knew this was going to end." She repeated, her voice breaking "Don't do this."

"Did you..." Jason hesitated "Did you love me?"

Annabeth seemed to have been hit in the face. Something about the question bothered her. Her look made it seem as though it brought some sort of bad memory.

"You were-" she paused. "I didn't love you... not that way."

Jason started to walk away. His mouth tasted bitter and his breaths were harder to take. He couldn't help but realize that he also didn't love her that way, but hearing her say it instantly made him realize how his last eleven years were a mere distraction from his own miserable life.

"Jason-"

"It's okay, Annabeth." He tried his best to smile then he gestured in the general direction of camp and said "I- I've got a thing."

That was the last he saw of Annabeth that day.

He deliberately chose to spend the night at the Zeus cabin so he wouldn't have to see her.

Luckily, the new renovations made it a lot more habitable. Rows of bunks filled the huge room, which perfectly symbolized the fact that Zeus has the most children out of anyone on the Olympian council. He was the king of the gods after all... even when it came to _that_.

In the middle, Hippie Zeus still stood tall but now his lightning bolt pointed at the dome-shaped ceiling whose mosaics were enchanted to move, making it look like a cloudy sky. Every few minutes, a lightning bolt streaks across the ceiling, inducing the sound of thunder that shook the entire cabin.

Even though cabin one was Jason's favorite place to fall asleep, his head kept rerunning his conversation with Annabeth from eleven years ago. He remembered the agreement not to get too attached in case Piper or Percy return, to remain good friends afterwards and to never be heartbroken ever again. It seemed so doable at the time but now... he didn't think so anymore.

He did get attached- Not to Annabeth, but to the life he created with her.

It took some time to drift to sleep, but in his dreams Jason was in a dark alleyway. A loud clang vibrated across the silent alley. A sheet of corrugated tin quivered on the dock. Jason saw Thalia and Luke creeping toward a loading bay until they stood over the pile of metal. They looked much younger than Jason's dream from last night. He wondered what was the deal with his back to back dreams about them.

Thalia readied her spear but Luke gestured for her to hold back. He reached for the piece of corrugated metal and mouthed, _One, two, three!_

As soon as he lifted the sheet of tin, something flew at him— a blur of flannel and blond hair. A hammer hurtled straight at his face.

"Whoa!" He said as he dodged the throw of the hammer, then grabbed the little girl's wrist. She was young. Younger than the kids at camp.

"No more monsters!" she screamed. "Go away!"

"It's okay!" Luke tried to hold her

"Hey, little girl," Thalia said, with a gentle voice. "It's all right. We're not going to hurt you. I'm Thalia. This is Luke."

"Monsters!" she wailed.

"No," Luke assured her "But we know about monsters. We fight them too."

"You're like me?" she asked, still suspicious, but she sounded a little hopeful, too. At that point, she had stopped struggling against Luke.

"Yeah," He promised. "We're... Well, it's hard to explain, but we're monster fighters. Where's your family?"

The girl's expression turned hard and angry. It was unbelievable how someone so young could hold so much pain. "My family hates me. They don't want me. I ran away."

Luke seemed to understand what she meant. Thalia knelt next to him and put her hand on her shoulder. "What's your name, kiddo?"

"Annabeth."

"Nice name," Luke smiled "I tell you what, Annabeth. You're pretty fierce. We could use a fighter like you."

Her eyes widened. "You could?"

"Oh, yeah," He said earnestly. He reached for a dagger and pulled it from his belt. "How'd you like a real monster-slaying weapon? This is Celestial bronze. Works a lot better than a hammer."

Annabeth took the dagger and studied it in awe.

"Knives are only for the bravest and quickest fighters," He told her. "They don't have the reach or power of a sword, but they're easy to conceal and they can find weak spots in your enemy's armor. It takes a clever warrior to use a knife. I have a feeling you're pretty clever."

Luke's words seemed to flow out of his mouth that Jason knew this guy was genuine. He gazed at Annabeth with a look that could be mistaken for a father's if he wasn't fourteen years old.

"I am clever!" she boasted.

Thalia laughed and tousled Annabeth's hair. "We'd better get going, Annabeth. We have a safe house on the James River. We'll get you some clothes and food."

Annabeth's smile wavered. "You're...you're not going to take me back to my family? Promise?"

Luke put his hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "You're part of our family now and I promise I'm not going to fail you like our families did us. Deal?"

"Deal!" she said happily, clutching her new dagger.

"Percy? Are you... um..." A new voice came from the other side of Jason's dream. He saw the last scene from his last dream: Annabeth, Percy and Grover in the throne room against Luke.

Jason watched as Luke grasped the hilt of the same dagger he had given Annabeth. He unlatched the side straps of his armor, exposing a small bit of his skin just under his left arm. With difficulty, he stabbed himself.

It wasn't a deep cut, but Luke howled. His eyes glowed like lava. The throne room shook, throwing everyone off their feet. An aura of energy surrounded Luke, growing brighter and brighter.

Then, Jason saw Luke sprawled at the hearth. On the floor around him was a blackened circle of ash. His left side was bloody. His eyes were open—blue eyes, the same color he had when he was younger.

"Good... blade," he croaked.


	45. The Return

Happiness didn't describe how Annabeth felt, it wasn't a big enough word. Her blood pumped as her heart raced at the sight of Percy emerging from the water. It was deja-vu, except last time Percy didn't have so many cuts and bruises across his body and his face.

His feet touched the wet sand of the beach and Percy didn't choke.

Annabeth sighed in relief... or was it happiness?

She didn't care. Her feet began running and she was in his arms, holding him for dear life. Together they collapsed on their knees, Annabeth kissing him with lips that could get enough of his. They drew apart briefly, breathless, and gazed into each other's eyes. Percy held her face between his hands. He smelled like salt and seaweed.

"Miss me, wise girl?" He smiled.

"Missed you, seaweed brain." She smiled back.

"I would rate this reunion a five." He smacked his lips "We definitely had better ones."

"This is gonna be our last." Annabeth declared "I promise."

* * *

 _Today is it_. Annabeth thought as she hurled herself out of bed.

She didn't bother going to breakfast in the dinning pavilion this morning. Annabeth headed straight for Long Island Sound beach.

That was the first time in years that Annabeth had appreciated how beautiful the ocean water looks. She couldn't look at the water without being reminded of her husband... if she really could call him that. He was stolen from her moments after she had said I do.

But, she also couldn't help but think about Jason. She owed him so much. For raising her two trouble making kids, for consoling her whenever she felt the world was fighting against her happiness and for loving her.

Deep down, Annabeth knew that his feelings for her were strong. Although she didn't know if it was _love_ love, it was the closest any woman had gotten to Jason's heart since Piper.

And gods, did Annabeth loved him. He was so perfect in every imaginable way, but Jason Grace will never be Percy Jackson. If Annabeth had never met Percy, then she and Jason would've had a chance, and she felt the same was true if Jason hadn't met Piper.

"Hey, mom." Luke sat down on her right, while Charlie joined her on her left. "Any sign of him?"

"Nothing, yet." She tucked her legs underneath her.

"Everything is going to be different after today, isn't it?" Charlie mustered, her voice had a tone of fear.

"Is he going to even like us?" Luke asked. "He's never met us."

"Percy doesn't have a hateful bone in his body." Annabeth assured them "And you're his kids. He's always loved you, without even having to meet you."

In the distance, Annabeth could see a shape start to form from the horizon. In minutes, a three masted ship was speeding its way towards the coast of Long Island Sound. Pirates were shouting and cursing at each other, directing the ship to dock.

Luke and Charlie's eyes searched the deck hungrily for a figure they could recognize as their father but Annabeth knew better.

From the top of the main mast, at the crow's nest, Percy smiled at her. His sea-green eyes were as gorgeous as she remembered but his dark black hair had accumulated strands of white. It hadn't occurred to Annabeth that he would get older. In her head, she always assumed she'd see the same troublemaker kid who she fell in love with at seventeen.

As soon as his eyes laid on her, Percy jumped into the ocean. It should have been fatal to a normal human being to hit the water from this far up, but after hitting the surface Percy had willed the water to carry him and transport him closer to the beach where she hungrily waited for him.

He put his feet forward and touched the soft sand of the beach and for the first time in twelve years, he didn't choke.

Annabeth was too stunned to move. She felt that if she got any closer to him, Poseidon would smack her down, Hades would open the ground and swallow her up or Zeus would send a deadly bolt of lightning. This was too good to be true.

"Dad?" Charlie spoke, the word sounding abnormal in her mouth.

Annabeth surged forward. Percy walked towards her at the same time but they stopped a few inches away from each other, both hesitating for a brief moment. Then, Percy threw his arms around her. She leaned into him and felt the heat between them, felt his body, felt his arm tight around her. It felt so right to be in his embrace. Everything felt right. It seemed their years apart didn't matter any more. Annabeth looked at him and they kissed. She brought her hand to his face and touched his cheek, brushing it softly with her fingers, feeling the years of separation dissolve. He still smelled of ocean air and still tasted of salt.

The world seemed dreamlike as she pulled back from him. Her vision tunneled, and all she could see was him. _It's a dream_. Annabeth thought. _This isn't happening._

"Dad!" Luke and Charlie ran forward, each of them tackling a side of their father. Percy placed a hand on each of them, then brought himself on his knees to face them.

"Gods," He gripped their shoulders in disbelief "Luke, you grew up... You're like my age when I came to camp."

His eyes drifted to Charlie "And you," Percy mustered "You must be Charlotte."

"I go by Charlie." She corrected him. "Less girly."

"Charlie." Percy sounded the word, then pulled both of them closer, burying them in a hug. Charlie and Luke no longer seemed tense or afraid in their father's arms. They belonged there. They were home.

"There's our seaweed brain." Thalia interrupted the sweet moment between Percy and his kids. She wore her usual silver jacket and silver circlet around her head... frankly nothing changed about the daughter of Zeus at all "Long time no see, cuz."

" _You_ didn't visit me on The Queen." Percy stood up and hugged Thalia. Crowds of campers and old friends hovered around, trying to take a look at the long lost son of Poseidon.

"Percy, there's actual pirates on that ship."

He laughed then looked back at Luke and Charlie "Guys, this is Thalia Grace. She's-"

"Uncle Jason's sister." Charlie interrupted. "Lieutenant of Artemis, we know."

"Right..." Percy expression hardened and Annabeth understood what he was feeling. It just occurred to him that he much he had missed out on in Luke and Charlie's lives.

"Luke and Charlie, right?" Thalia broke the tension. "I heard about you guys. The Percy Jackson replica and the swordsman."

"Have we met before?" Luke squinted, as if he was trying to see her more clearly "I feel like I've seen you before."

"I don't think so." She said "I just like to know my future allies."

"Could be a dream, Luke." Annabeth said.

"Maybe..." Luke didn't sound very convinced but Annabeth was sure he'd never met Thalia before now. Charlie and Luke had heard stories about the hunters of Artemis and their leader but they had never crossed paths till now.

Percy continued greeting his old friends, then got to spend lunch and dinner alongside people he hasn't seen in years: Grover, Chiron, even Mr. D made an appearance. Annabeth might have been a little jealous that she wasn't spending time with him, but the thought of sleeping in Percy's arms tonight kept her patient.

Since Hazel and Frank were still living in their house in New Athens, Percy and Annabeth chose to spend the night at the Big House, and for the first time ever, she slept soundly in her husband's arms.

Unfortunately, Annabeth didn't get to spend her morning in bed with him.

She woke to the sound of the bedroom door opening and Leo's voice saying "Annabeth! Oh, hey-yo!"

Leo gave them a look, and Annabeth suddenly became very aware that she was only wearing a night gown. Annabeth quickly covered herself with her blanket while Percy rubbed his eyes and tried to wake himself up. Annabeth noticed Leo had full battle armor, which was unusual for him.

"First Frank, now you." Percy grumbled "You guys need to stop cockblocking us."

"I knew it!" Leo exclaimed "You two did it that night in the stables."

"No, we didn't!" Annabeth felt the blood rush to her face "Leo, what's wrong?"

"Border action." He announced "We need you."

Percy and Annabeth exchanged looks and quickly got ready. They joined Leo who was waiting for them outside on the porch.

"How bad is it?" Annabeth asked.

"Real bad." Leo answered. "Nico and Julian are trying to slow them down, but there's so many."

"Who?"

"Legions," Leo said grimly "Armies of dead ghosts."


	46. The Wave of Terror

"Nico!" Piper's voice echoed in Nico's head "Gods, I thought you were dead!"

He tried to summon the strength to hurl himself up, but he couldn't even bring himself to lift a finger. His eyes opened slowly and with difficulty and he saw Piper's figure looking down at him.

"Aala!" Piper shouted "He's up."

A girl of about twelve came hovering over Nico. His vision was extremely blurry but he could see a figure of a woman with caramel colored skin and a long braid. She wore some sort of silver attire which could only mean that she was a hunter of Artemis.

Aala started performing some sorts of healing chants on Nico and he felt his body getting stronger.

"Wh-what happened?" His voice was weak.

"You dissolved." Piper said, her voice full of concern and worry "You were like a ghost."

Nico recalled the last time this has happened and it wasn't pretty. He had only survived thanks to Coach Hedge crazy healing routine. "How long was I out?"

"Only a few hours," Piper answered "Somehow, we landed in the hunter's camp site, otherwise, you'd probably be..."

 _Gone_. Nico finished her thought. He had thr depressing thought of telling his husband about this, then immediately getting a severe talk about the dangers of shadow travel. Nico hoped he'll get to see him again before the prophecy unfolds.

"Aala here is their best healer." Piper changed the subject "She's a daughter of Apollo and she's been taking care of you."

Aala didn't stop her chant, which was longer and more powerful than any chant Will had ever used. Either he saved his good chants for the really terminal cases, or Aala's status as a hunter made her more powerful.

"Where are we?" Nico asked.

"A couple of miles away from Chiron's camp." A new voice entered the tent. Nico saw a girl with brown hair gathered back in a ponytail and strange eyes, silvery yellow like the moon and expression that was stern and dangerous.

He had only met the goddess of the hunt once before, moments after Bianca and him were saved by the hunters. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

"How is our male visitor?" She asked, speaking the word male like it was a curse.

"He's getting better my lady," Aala replied "He'll be strong enough to fight by tonight."

"Good, we will need all the warriors we can get." She said.

"Lady Artemis," Nico grunted "Aren't all the Olympians gone?"

"You mean the matter of The Olympian Civil War?"

"A- A civil war?" Piper hesitated.

"I don't partake in Olympian disagreements." Artemis explained "I didn't in The Trojan War, and I won't today. It is merely a trick by the dark gods to distract the Olympians from the real threat."

"You won't try to stop it?" Nico found enough strength to raise his body.

"I am needed here." The goddess' silver eyes gleamed "The primordial gods have risen. All they need is their final sister, Thalassa. Pontus is not strong enough without her. The minute they acquire her, they will march to Olympus and destroy the western civilization... then the world. Last night was Tartarus' weakest attack: the Titans. Tonight, he unleashes the giants."

"We need the gods to beat them." Piper continued

"Let us pray that your husband and son find a way to persuade the Olympians to fight."

* * *

It was Nico's first night back in the Hades cabin. It was quiet, as always, because its only inhabitant was still his half brother, Julian Moreno. Hades wasn't exactly the type to go out having random relationships with mortal woman, so it wasn't a surprise that his cabin was the least inhabited one at camp.

Nico had spent the past few months aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, trying to slow down Pontus' forces and act as Camp Half Blood's naval power. Nico loved being out in the water, but the truth was that he wanted a distraction. It hadn't been exactly easy after Will and Nico's adoption applications got rejected for not having jobs or a stable home situation.

It really wasn't fair that they could only apply to mortal adoption agencies. That left surrogacy, but the expected wait time to get a surrogate was like two years and even if they were able to get a surrogate, they had no mortal money to pay for it.

Now that they were back home, Nico's grief seemed real again. In the water, he was constantly fighting, constantly distracted that he had no time to think about not being able to have kids. He wished he didn't have to think about it.

Sadly, Nico's wish came true.

Even from a distance, he felt it. His ears rang like never before. His head was throbbing. Nico only felt like this in the Underworld, wandering around the fields of Asphodel.

"Julian," He nudged his brother in the nearby bunk "Do you feel that?"

Julian rolled around in his bed. Nico nudged him a few more times till he woke up.

"Son of a gorgon!" He bolted upright, clearly not enjoying being woken up, but by the change of the look on his face, he didn't care about that anymore.

Without even saying a word, both of them ran out of cabin thirteen and tried to find the source of this energy, which not surprisingly, was at at the camp's border.

"Holy Hades." Julian whispered.

Nico knew what he meant, because in front of him, marching in coordination towards the camp's border line, were legions, entire phalanxes of armies- dead armies in full battle gear. They were in a state between ghost and corpse, so they were conscious enough to fight on their own and strong enough to inflict pain.

"Julian!" Nico yelled "Go wake them."

"Who?" He said nervously

"EVERYONE!" Nico shouted.

Julian climbed down and ran back to camp. Nico inhaled and hoped he had enough energy in him to delay this army before his reinforcements came. He didn't know who was controlling this army, but Nico knew that it was stolen from the Underworld.

Nico's first instinct was to order the army to stop but none listened.

 _Great_ , Nico thought. _Undead warriors that don't listen to children of Hades_.

Nico advanced closer to the marching army. He drew his sword and stabbed the black blade into the floor. The ground rumbled and a fissure opened close enough to suck a few spirits into the void with a horrible wail.

Nico's legs turned to jelly and he toppled down on the ground. The fact that killing such a few number of dead men had drained Nico meant that he was doomed.

"Foolish son of Hades." A familiar voice boomed. Nico looked up and saw an old enemy.

The old bearded king gleamed down at Nico with maliciously cold eyes. He had tendrils of Mist coiling off his white robes. He was no longer a shimmer but rather almost alive.

"Minos." Nico groaned.

"Nico Di Angelo" He made a _tsk tsk tsk_ sound "You call yourself the Ghost King. Pathetic"

"What-" Nico attempted to get up.

"You weren't always the brightest kid, so let me say this as slowly as I can: Hand over the glass orb or I'll destroy your puny little camp"

"Never."

Minos kicked Nico in his stomach. Black spots danced around in Nico's eyesight

Minos knelt down, his smile unwavering "I have history's best in this army: Hector, Napoleon, Genghis Khan. You don't stand a chance."

Nico spat out blood at Minos' feet "Try me."

Minos huffed and stood up. He gestured for the army to proceed, while Nico laid on the floor helpless. Dead legionnaires drew their arrows and fired at the camp. Thankfully, the border held it together but Nico didn't know for how long.

"NICO!" Will's shriek could be heard over the dead armies' war cries. Nico turned his head and saw him running. He was wearing his pajamas and his hair was a complete mess. It might have been the most ridiculous reinforcement anyone has ever gotten in history of war, but Nico could feel his own strength return just at the sight of Will.

"Erebus and Tararus" Nico muttered "They're working together. This army-"

"Shut up," Will snapped "Eat this."

He stuffed a square of ambrosia in Nico's mouth while his hands worked to heal his internal bleeding. Will didn't let Nico finish, but if dead corpses have made it to the real world, this only meant the the primordial god of darkness, Erebus, whose body is literally the underworld itself, has started collaborating with Tartarus.

"The border will hold, reinforcements are coming." Will assured him.

As if on cue, Nico heard Jason yelling "GREEKS, ATTACK!

Young demigods, with swords in hand, advanced on their attackers. Nico saw Frank turn into a cheetah, tearing apart dozen legionnaires with his teeth while Jason and his siblings brought down a enough ightning to power a large city.

Nico got up, feeling strength return to his body and proceeded down to the battlefield. He advanced forward, sword in hand, slashing as many corpses as he could, sending their spirits back to the Underworld.

"Nico," Percy, Leo and Annabeth joined the fight "How can we help?"

"Most of these ghosts are from Asphodel" Nico shouted as he continued to destroy more undead warriors "They follow leaders from Elysium and the fields of punishment. Destroy the leaders then we can destroy the army."

Leo nodded "I got that ugly dude!" He produced vials of Greek fire from his tool belt and proceeded to throw them at a commander who looked like Adolf Hitler. The Greek fire exploded, wiping out nearly all of the dead angry Nazi troops.

Will kept shooting down undead warriors until his arrows were spent. Annabeth was fighting sword-to-sword with a blonde man. He wore a bronze armor over his tan body. He was buff and strongly built, but somehow Nico knew that this wasn't his strongest feature.

"Yield!" He shouted at Annabeth "You can't defeat me. I'm the most clever demigod of all time."

"You've been gone a long time, Odysseus!" Annabeth quickly drew her dagger and aimed for his gut. The corpse of Odysseus didn't bleed, but but he still howled in pain.

Percy was advancing with Riptide across enemy lines, slashing his way through dead warriors from all of history.

"You're not dead." A Greek warrior loomed in front of him. He was tall and buff, with a cruel scarred face and closely shaved black hair. He wore a white tunic, a bronze armor and a helm that hid his dark green eyes, but what gave his identity away was the bloody arrow sticking out of his heel

Achilles charged Percy. Percy drew Riptide and lashed out. The blade should have gone straight through Achilles' neck, but he was unbelievably fast, especially for a corpse.

Demigods of camp might be good, but they were fighting legends: warriors and soldiers who have been known for their power and bravery. Achilles, Odysseus and many more who have been known for thousands of years for their bravery on the battlefields of history.

Nico didn't have more time to keep watching. He retreated back towards the border where Hazel and Julian did most of the damage. Hazel was opening the ground, creating fissures big enough to send hundreds of undead soldiers back to where they came from.

Julian, using Hazel's fissures in the ground, brought forth black flames of hell fire. Nico had never seen anyone, other than god of the underworld himself, use this power before. The black fire dissolved anything in its path into liquid, quickly sending the dead on their way to the Underworld.

Nico didn't know what to do. The dead won't listen to him and it wasn't like he could open the ground like Hazel or dissolve everything like Julian. Nico needed a new approach. He needed a new strategy.

So, he ran. He didn't where or why but he kept running, dodging flying bones and weapons until he reached the leader of this army. Nico gripped the old king by his collar and pulled him close to his face.

"What are you going to do?" Minos snarled "You can't control me!"

He was right. Nico didn't know what he was doing but he felt a tugging sensation in his gut. The dead was Nico's source of power. He was the Ghost King, a future judge of the Underworld. He was the son of Hades.

Nico let it loose in one horrible scream.

Afterwards, an explosion, a whirlwind of power, that seemed to be coming from within Nico, hit the spirits of the dead. For some reason, they starting running in fear. Some of them even voluntarily falling down in Hazel's fissures just to escape from the wave of power that radiated from Nico.

He saw a British naval officer turn pale, an American aviator start sweating uncontrollably, even a Roman emperor cowering and trembling in fear.

 _Fear_. Nico thought. He was radiating actual fear. He didn't know where it came from but he had only seen this sort of power when his father wore the Helm of Darkness.

The battlefield was now almost empty of corpses. Nico didn't stop until he felt his own consciousness fade. The last thing Nico remembered was seeing Minos' body dissolve into a pile of flesh and bones.

Then, Nico collapsed.

"Thank Apollo" Will's pale face gazed down on Nico. He was in such bad shape, Nico almost mistook him for his own distant relative, Octavian the augur.

Nico was flat on his back, looking at the sunlight that reflected on the cedar beams in the ceiling. They were in the Apollo cabin, in the middle cot that was designed for the severely injured.

Will immediately crushed Nico in a hug. Nico tried to hug him back, but his muscles felt like they were burning.

"How-" Nico's throat felt like sand paper. His voice was coarse and harsh.

"You sent that dead army back to the Underworld all by yourself." Jason said. Nico didn't notice him at first, but he was sitting next to Will along with Julian and Hazel.

"I've never seen anything like it" Hazel said gently "I could _feel_ the terror you sent into the hearts of the ghosts."

"Dude, some campers still have nightmares about you." Julian said

 _Terror?_ Nico thought. _Nightmares? What had I done?_

"You were out for two weeks," Will's blue eyes were full of concern "I thought-"

"Two weeks?!" Nico asked.

"You had a visitor while you were out." Jason said "A woman came here to check on you. She didn't say anything about who she was, except that you two were old friends."

Psyche.

Somehow, it clicked into Nico's mind that this gut feeling he got before he exploded was his soul. After all those years, maybe his soul was finally starting to communicate with him, though he didn't know what the surge of fear meant exactly.

"Is everyone okay?" Nico asked.

"Everyone's fine, Nico" Hazel touched his hand "But..."

Her face turned dark. She didn't continue

"The camp's border is down." Will said gravely "We had our guard down for the moments you did that terror thing and a monster snuck up on us. It stole the golden fleece and Camp Half Blood is now vulnerable."


	47. The Pontifex Confesses

Tom was a fast learner. He'd learned how to wield the wind to lift himself up and fly quickly. In no time, they were already soaring to Olympus.

"This is awesome!" Tom laughed as he struggled to balance himself "Who knew that all this time I could fly?"

"There's a lot of wind spirits at the Olympian border" Jason warned "Make sure you have a tight grip."

Jason instructed Tom to wait at a safe distance while he approached the air guardians of Olympus. He didn't exactly want his only son to get blasted by a Venti the day he'd learned how to fly.

"We're from Camp Half Blood." Jason announced "We need to speak to the gods."

At the sound of Jason's request, one of the Venti took shape of an old bearded man. He looked withered, with grey colored hair and saggy skin. "Who are you?" he asked.

Tom advanced forward. "I'm Tom Grace, praetor of Rome." He announced over the howling winds. "And this is John Green, son of Aeolus."

By the look of the man's face, Jason realized that his lie wouldn't pass as smoothly as it did with Tom. The old Venti said "You are no child of the winds."

"Of course he is, can't you see he's flying?" Tom defended.

"I am Euros," He boasted "God of the eastern wind. My brothers have told me about you."

Jason's hand shook. He could feel his hold of the winds deteriorate because of how nervous he got.

"Notus had warned you years ago about having direction" Euros' golden eyes met his "Now, you are suffering: inside and outside. You convince yourself that you are capable of making decision but the problem is you don't have direction. Where is your direction, hero?"

"My direction is saving camp" Jason said, but as he said these word, he knew he couldn't even convince himself. He's been drifting aimlessly for twenty years, waiting around for Tom and Piper. Jason couldn't even recognize himself. Between dating Annabeth and everything that happened afterwards, who was he?

"There is a reason why you are in pain everyday." Euros continued "You have lived many years without purpose. You are not a child of Aeolus. You cannot just flow wherever the wind takes you. You are a child of lightning. You must be firm and strong."

Jason took a deep breath and understood what the god wanted him to do. He turned around and faced Tom.

"I lied to you..." Jason said with difficulty "My name is not John Green."

"What's he talking about?" Tom's face turned serious. "Who are you?"

Jason gulped "I'm Jason Grace, son of Jupiter... and your dad."

* * *

"Hey man, can we talk?" Jason approached Percy.

He had came from the Apollo cabin where Nico had just woken up. For two weeks, everyone was worried sick that Nico might have pushed himself too far at the battle ground with the ghosts. No one had ever seen anything like what he'd done. But, it was because of him that camp was safe.

Of course, camp was never totally safe. They had to deal with the issue of camp being vulnerable without its border. The Golden Fleece was stolen right under their noses by some monster. Today was the war meeting to assign a quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece before camp's next major attack.

For these past two weeks, Jason had completely avoided Annabeth and Percy. In truth, he has happy for his friends, but a part of him felt a sort of envy towards them. Though, deep down, Jason knew that it was ridiculous. It wasn't their fault that his life sucked. He had to confront Percy, man to man, about the whole situation. He doesn't want it to be weird with one of his closest friends.

"What's up Grace?" They stopped outside of the Big House. Cabin heads and New Athens representatives were rushing inside for the meeting.

"I just wanted to come clean about a few things from when you were gone."

"Okay..." He titled his head in confusion.

"Annabeth and I were roommates, and well..." Jason hesitated.

"You guys had a thing." Percy jumped in.

"I... uhh..." Jason was at a loss of words.

"Look, man, it's fine." Jason stared at him dumbfounded "You were going through difficult times and so was she. I'm glad she had you through these past few years. It sure would've been nice if I had someone with _me_. We're cool, Grace. Really."

Jason was speechless. Of all scenarios he had about telling Percy of his relationship with Annabeth, this never crossed his mind. It would have been easier if Percy had beat him senseless because now Jason actually feels worse. "You're unbelievable."

Percy blinked. 'So... we're not cool?'

"Jackson, I told you I was dating your wife and you tell me that it's okay?"

Percy laughed "Leo told me the same thing about Calypso... and well, I think we're kind of even."

Jason faked a gasp "Did you date Piper?"

"Nah," Percy said "But this summer I was sailing in Lake Michigan near Chicago and my crew picked up a kid from Camp Jupiter. He was on a quest, retrieving a bunch of Imperial Gold weapons to the legion and I decided to give him a ride back to California. I didn't know it at the time, but I found out later that his name was Tom Grace."

"Tom?" Jason caught his breath "Tom is in Camp Jupiter?"

"Yeah," Percy smiled "Because of that quest, he was promoted to centurion of the fifth cohort."

Jason could feel a lump form in his throat. This was the first time in almost a decade that he'd heard about Tom. He hasn't had dreams of him, but knowing that his son is alive and walking in his footsteps made Jason's heart swell. "W-What's he like?"

"Powerful." Percy answered "His charmspeak is really good and he can make these really powerful lightning storms and he looks exactly like you, except he has Piper's eyes. He's a good kid. You'd be proud."

Jason tried not to choke up "Thanks, Jackson."

"Hey bromigo," Percy punched him in the arm "You take care of my kids, I take care of yours"

Jason smiled. He was grateful he knew a standup guy like Percy and was glad he was a part of his life. Maybe Jason will finally move on from Annabeth and shift his focus back on things that mattered. "Bromigo?"

"Leo told me that's the new saying nowadays." He admitted. "I've been gone too long, dude. I gotta catch up on pop culture."

Jason laughed "And you asked _Leo_?"

"Shut up, Grace." Percy laughed. "How's the Pontifex Maximus job?"

"Honestly, I've been so distracted." Jason admitted "I think it's kind of my fault the dark gods are conspiring against Olympus. If I had made sure they had shrines, maybe I would've prevented a lot of stuff."

"If I know one thing, it's that there's a gazillion gods. No matter how many shrines you build, you'll still have a god of dirty socks or a goddess of toilets mad at you."

"You know she exists, right?" A smile tugged at the corner of Jason's mouth

"A toilet goddess?"

"Yeah. Cloacina, the goddess of the sewer system. I met her once. She's pretty uptight."

"A constipated toilet goddess." They both laughed as they entered the council.

As usual, all the campers were gathered around the ping pong table of snacks. Everyone was already causing trouble. Seeing that scene never failed to remind Jason that the campers were just a bunch of kids, teasing each other and playing pranks. He was glad they still retained their innocence, considering everything that was going on.

"There is no time." Annabeth said "This quest will obviously be handled by the younger campers, unless a prophecy states otherwise. Do we have anyone who thinks they're up for this?"

Murmurs went up between the campers.

"I'll do it." A girl stood up. "My mom brought the Golden Fleece to camp once, I feel like I should be the one to bring it back."

Jason immediately recognized her as Silena La Rue-Rodriguez. She had her mom's dangerous eyes but also her dad's elfish features. She perfectly complimented both of her parents' different characteristics and mushed into a meld of her own.

Rachel took that as her cue. She closed her eyes and swooned. Two campers rushed forward and caught her. A third ran to the side of the room and grabbed her bronze three-legged stool. They eased Rachel onto the stool and the green mist started swirling around her feet. Then she opened her glowing eyes.

" _In three days hence,  
_ _Suffering will commence.  
_ _A satyr and a camper show the way,  
_ _The female warriors hunt their prey.  
_ _Painful curses will you revive_  
 _If you leave the monsters' den alive_ "

At the last word, Rachel collapsed. Her helpers carried her onto a nearby couch. Everyone was silent for a few moments, thinking about the prophecy they just heard.

"Suffering," Leo broke the tension "Monsters, painful curses. Just the usual, right?"

Silena looked mortified, definitely regretting her choice of going on this quest by now. Jason understood the feeling.

" _Three days hence_ ," Hazel said "I'm assuming you have three days to find whatever the monsters' den is."

"And I'm also assuming you'll cross paths with the Amazons or the Hunters of Artemis." Frank said "They're old allies of the camps, so they'll help you."

"Satyrs can sense the Fleece's nature power." Percy said "It makes sense that the prophecy says you'll have one as a guide."

There was muttering of agreement.

"Chuck," Silena's voice trembled, but she still tried to look tough. She turned her attention to a satyr of about fourteen. "You're my best friend. Will you come with me?"

Chuck nodded and, almost instantly, Coach Hedge clapped his son on his back "My boy's first quest!"

"And a camper" Jason said "You have to choose a camper."

Silena's brown eyes darted around the room, looking for a companion. She stopped when she reached Charlie, who was lounging on her chair. "Charlotte Jackson is your name, right?"

Charlie narrowed her eyes "It's Charlie."

"I pick you." Silena didn't drop her gaze "My mom got help from your parents on her quest. Plus, I've seen your skills at Capture The Flag. You seem tough enough"

Charlie smiled and nodded, accepting her task.

"Very well." Annabeth concluded "Silena, Charlie and Chuck. You guys better pack your bags. May the gods "—she glanced at Mr. D who was reading a wine magazine—"present company included—be with you."


	48. The Quest for the Fleece

**[A/N: Okay, I'm trying a new narrator. I had this story line prepared for one of the seven, but idk I thought a new person should get the spotlight. Super long chapter ahead.]**

"Luke, don't be stupid!" Charlie chased down her brother across the fields of Camp Half Blood. She forced him into a complete stop before he proceeded to go to the beach "I doubt dad is a fan of Sleeping Beauty. He'll react just like mom and uncle Jason did."

"No, he won't." Luke insisted "Dad has always been different: the only son of Poseidon in his time, the only Greek in Camp Jupiter. He'll understand where I'm coming from."

"Are you even listening to yourself, dummy?" Charlie rolled her eyes "Dad was _different_ , not insane."

"I'm not insane." He stepped aside and kept walking.

"Oh yeah?" Charlie shouted after him "Then you wouldn't mind me telling Lady Artemis when she comes to camp?" Luke stopped, his shoulders tensed. "You know it's wrong, Luke."

He turned around, the green sparkle in his deep grey eyes was fading "What am I supposed to do? I love her."

"I'm sorry. I don't think there's anything you can do."

* * *

It has been two days since Charlie, Silena and Chuck had entered the Labyrinth—the dangerous part of it, with pits of darkness and lakes of poison. And, unfortunately, their satyr guide,Chuck, was helplessly lost.

"You're lost," Charlie said, for the hundredth time.

"Am not!" he protested.

He trotted along in his baggy jeans and yellow tie-dyed T-shirt and a cap that covered his curly hair. He stopped at a T in the corridor. In either direction, rough-hewn stone walls marched into darkness. Chuck tugged his wispy goatee.

"Well?" Silena asked.

Chuck pointed to the tunnel on the right. "I'm pretty sure it's that way."

" _Pretty_ sure?" Charlie asked. "Like last time, when we walked into a Cyclops?"

"That wasn't my fault!" Chuck protested. "Besides, this direction smells _different_."

"Different? That's your plan?"

"Charlie," Silena said, "Chuck is supposed to be our guide. We don't have much choice but to trust him."

Chuck huffed. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Charlie was getting tired of walking around. They were wandering around for two days, which meant that today was their deadline. Today, the suffering begins. She had no idea what that meant or who was supposed to suffer, but it wouldn't be good and so far, they had met no female warriors nor any painful curses.

Besides, wandering around was bad. They should have a well thought-out plan. It made sense that a monsters' den to was going to be underground, close enough to Tartarus, but unfortunately underground is a really big place.

"I'm trying to get us there, guys," he said. "But the Labyrinth has a mind of its own. It's like it's trying to get me lost."

Silena placed her hand on Chuck's shoulder. "We know you're doing your best. Let's keep going."

Chuck straightened his back and proceeded down the path. Charlie and Silena followed their guide down the right-hand tunnel.

Silena had that effect on people. She was this natural leader that made everyone confident and strong with just her words. It didn't make sense where she got this trait from, because according to Charlie's mom, Clarisse La Rue was just as thick headed as those kids from the Ares cabin and Chris Rodriguez was not the leader type at all as he was easily manipulated into joining Kronos' army.

Soon the passage narrowed, forcing them to crouch. Charlie glanced at Silena. So far, she'd been a good leader for their little group. She tried to keep everyone strong and she was exceptionally good at detecting traps and for the past hour, this road has been weirdly safe.

Instantly, Charlie wished she wasn't so intuitive.

Their small corridor opened up to a wide room. It was round like a sewer, constructed of red brick with iron-barred portholes every five feet.

In the middle was a man and the first thing Charlie noticed were his faces, jutted out from either side of his head, staring over his shoulders, so his head was much wider than it should've been, kind of like a hammerhead shark's. He was dressed like a doorman: a long black overcoat, shiny shoes and a black top hat that somehow managed to stay on his double-wide head.

"Ah! Silena, darling' said his left face. "We have waited for you. Come this way."

"Don't mind him," said the right face. "He's terribly rude. Right this way, miss."

Silena was utterly confused. The two-faced man regarded Silena as best he could out of the corners of his eyes. Suddenly Charlie realized what he was asking – he wanted Silena to choose.

Behind him were two exits, blocked by wooden doors with huge iron locks. The two-faced doorman held a silver key, which he kept passing from his left hand to right one.

Charlie glanced behind and saw that the doorway they'd come through had disappeared.

"Where do they lead?" she asked.

"One leads the way you wish to go," the right face said encouragingly. "The other leads to certain death."

"I know who you are!" Charlie said, hopefully courageously enough to send him away.

"Oh, you're the daughter of the smart one!" the left face sneered. "But even you wouldn't know which way to choose. Come on Silena, I don't have all day.'

"Why are you doing this?" Silena asked. "Who are you?"

"I'm your best friend," the right face said.

"I'm your worst enemy," the left face said.

"I'm Janus," both faces said in harmony. "God of Doorways. Beginnings. Endings. Choices."

"One bad choice can ruin your whole life." his left side said "It can kill you and all your friends."

Charlie looked at Silena. Even from a few feet away, she could tell she was trembling. Charlie remembered the lines of the prophecy. Maybe this choice could be the reason suffering starts.

"I- I choose" She raised her hand shakily, and pointed "Left."

The two faces laughed together in perfect harmony. The left side raised his key and a bright light illuminated the room.

When Charlie opened her eyes, Janus was gone and the left door was open. Silena's knees immediately collapsed and she started sobbing on the floor.

Charlie and Chuck both instinctively joined her side.

"Hey, Silena" Chuck said gently "It's okay."

"It's okay?!" She exclaimed "I may have just killed us. This quest was a disaster from the beginning."

"I was the one who led us here." He said "It's my fault."

"No it's not." Charlie protested " It's no one's fault. We all knew what we were getting into."

"Charlie-" Silena started to say.

"You made a snap decision" Charlie said "That's what leaders do, and we trust you as our leader. And, if this door kills us... well, I'd be happy to die alongside you guys."

"What?" Silena raised her head to meet Charlie's eyes.

"I've never really had any close friends at camp." Charlie admitted. She didn't know why she was sharing this, but if she was going to do die today, at least someone should know "I just always spent my time training. When you're the daughter of Percy and Annabeth Jackson, people tend to expect a lot from you. Being away from camp these past two days... well it's the most fun I've had in a while."

Silena's shoulders relaxed "And you, Chuck?"

"You're my best friend, Silena." Chuck smiled "If I die today, at least I'll be with you."

The three of them hugged each other and stood up, slowly approaching the door that could lead them to their instant death.

* * *

Charlie would have preferred death.

The prophecy was dangerous and she knew she was getting into some serious stuff, but she expected something like defeating an Empousa or battling a Minotaur.

Meeting the Fates was way above her pay grade.

Charlie ended up in what seemed like an old cottage, the kind of house you would go if you were visiting your grandmother in the woods. By the fireplace, the three old ladies were sitting on rocking chairs. The two fates on the sides were knitting a pair of huge socks while the middle fate snipped a piece of yarn with scissors so huge, they could be shears.

"Ah," The right one spoke, her voice raspy and ancient "We haven't had heroes in centuries, right Lachesis?"

"Nine hundred and seventy seven years." The left one answered "Even Zeus doesn't visit these days."

The one in the middle produced a pair of shears and proceeded to cut a thread of yarn. "She looks scared. Would you like some cookies, child?"

At the sound of food, Charlie's stomach rumbled. The fate on the right snapped her fingers and a platter of chocolate chip cookies appeared in her hand. Charlie hesitated but her hungry stomach forced her to grab a cookie.

"I thought the Fates don't speak to mortals." Charlie said.

"Times are changing, child" the right one said said.

"I think _ending_ is the proper word, Clotho." Lachesis corrected, then pointed her needle in the direction of their yarn basket. Inside, there was only a small ball of blue yard left.

"You're saying that time is ending?" Charlie tried to grasp the idea. "How is that possible? You're the fates."

"We decide the fates of mortals and immortals, not the fate of the cosmos." Clotho replied.

"Fate has existed since the dawn of time, but the Fates only dictate the fate of the individuals." Her middle sister continued, and proceeded to cut another thread of yarn.

"I thought you were daughters of Zeus." Charlie asked.

"That is correct, but also false." Clotho said, as if that made perfect sense. "After Zeus took the throne of the universe, we were reborn as his daughters, but we existed before... as daughters of Night."

"And before that," Lachesis continued "We were daughters of Ananke."

It made sense to Charlie that the Fates were considered daughters of Nyx during the time before the gods. It was a dark time for both mortals and immortals, and Fates born of darkness perfectly complimented that concept.

Before the Titans, when the primordial gods ruled the universe, the Fates were born of Ananke, goddess of necessity. The world was chaos. It needed order... it needed fate.

"So you were the only gods who were reborn?" Charlie said.

"Eros was reborn as a son of Aphrodite." The middle Fate said, snipping yet another string of yarn "Everyone is bound to rebirth, child. The only difference is that gods remember their past lives."

"Was Zeus reborn?" Charlie asked "And Poseidon?"

Clotho chucked "The Olympians are _very_ young."

Charlie stepped forward "Why am I here? Where are my friends?"

"You need to know that the Fates are running out of fate to weave." The middle Fate used her shears again. "The end is nigh."

"The end of what?" Charlie asked, her thoughts racing "The Olympains? The world?"

She cut another piece of yarn and that was the last thing Charlie remembers.

Charlie woke to the sound of a guy shushing her.

The first thing she noticed was the familiar smell of the underground maze. Charlie was almost glad she was back in the Labyrinth.

She opened her eyes and saw a group of silver-jacket wearing girls who were hovering behind a set of huge bronze doors.

"You're awake." A familiar voice whispered nearby. Charlie's eyes were still adjusting to the darkness but she could recognize that voice anywhere.

"Luke?" She asked. "What are you-"

"Shh!" His grey eyes were intense "Doing your job."

"What?" Charlie rose "You're interfering with my quest?"

"Okay first of all," Luke said "It's Silena's quest. Second, _she_ asked for my help. I'm not interfering."

At the mention of Silena's name, Charlie panicked. For a second, she thought she'd lost her friends, but she felt better when she saw her two friends crouched near the bronze doors, in position to attack. Chuck pointed at the doors and mouthed "The Fleece"

"Where are we?" Charlie asked "What happened?"

"After you went through Janus' door, you guys ended up here unconscious."

"Where's here?"

"The monsters' gathering place" Luke answered "Silena knew she couldn't take an entire army so she contacted me and asked me to get reinforcements. Mom knew that the hunters were already in the Labyrinth... And, well, the prophecy did mention female warriors."

Charlie remembered the words of the prophecy: _A satyr and a camper show the way._ Charlie wasn't the camper. Luke was. He guided the hunters here.

"Of all campers, why you?" Charlie crossed her arms.

"Because I'm awesome." Luke helped her to her feet, and ushered her near the set of doors. Everyone was looking at Thalia, waiting for her mark.

Thalia was looking through the small opening between the bronze doors then, she looked back in the general direction of the hunters. She nodded, and in a flash, the hunters stormed inside.

Charlie followed, sword in hand, and charged. Inside was a large arena with a circular dirt floor. In the center, a fight between a wolf and a cyclops was cut short by the sound of the hunters' war cry.

Above, in the tiers of seats over the arena floor, there were giants, dracaenae, telekhines and all sorts of monsters that started jumping in to confront their attacker.

Charlie clashed with a centaur, sword-to-sword. He jabbed at Charlie but she quickly stepped away. He threw a net, but Charlie was well trained. She sidestepped easily, with a quick move, she knocked his sword to the ground and stabbed him through a chink in his armor. With a painful wail, he vaporized into nothing.

"Charlie!" Silena yelled. Charlie turned around and saw the problem.

Somehow, the monsters had managed to capture a giant hydra, containing it in their arena. It blocked a giant exit, which Charlie was sure led to the Golden Fleece. Silena was trying to slow it down, but she needed help.

Charlie ran, barely dodging to one side before all eight hydra heads spit acid, turning the floor where she'd been standing to a steaming crater of melted dirt. Charlie wanted to slash at the heads, but if she'd learned anything at Camp, it was that hydras simply grew two new ones for each one it lost.

The hydra lashed out. Charlie ducked behind a giant boulder and scanned the room.

At the top, hunters stood, aiming three arrows at a time and shooting multiple monsters. About eighty feet to Charlie's right, Chuck used his reed pipes to trap a giant snake. Next to him, Luke was battling a Laistrygonian Giant sword-to-sword.

Near him, closest to Charlie, was Thalia with a shield and spear in each hand, battling an Empousa. The creature limped forward on her mismatched legs. Her fiery hair burned across her shoulders like a miniature fire waterfall.

"Thalia!" She said in a giddy voice "I knew a guy who wouldn't shut up about you... what was his name? Duke? Puke?"

"I've been dying to have this moment." Thalia said "Annabeth got the pleasure of killing you the first time, but I'm immortal. I'll keep killing you... over and over and over again for what you did to Luke."

"Sorry hunting princess," The Empousa hissed "I'm not dying today."

"We'll see about that, Kelli!" Thalia yelled as she charged her.

Charlie would have loved to watch, but the hydra charged around her boulder. All eight heads loomed over her, ready to melt her into a pool of sludge. Charlie sprinted, dodging the stream of acid, and headed to where Silena was hiding.

"We need to kill it." Charlie declared

"How?" Silena asked desperately.

Charlie looked to the perimeter of the arena. Every few feet were those old fashioned fire lamp torches "Hercules killed that thing by cutting its head then cauterizing the open stumps."

"We're not Hercules." Silena pointed out.

"You're a legacy of Ares, that's close enough."

Silena still seemed weary of her idea but she nodded "I'll try to cut its outer left head, you do the fire thing."

And together, they went to work. Charlie ran to the nearest fire torch and quickly tried to get closer to the Hydra. The stench of poison burned Charlie's eyes as she watched Silena. The monster's heads moved in so many directions that she didn't know where to start, but without further hesitating, Silena ran into battle.

The Hydra's mouths snapped at her, but Silena was quick. Charlie didn't know if her speedy reflexes had come from Hermes or Ares but either way, she used her powers to her advantage. She dodged and weaved, waiting for an opening. The next time one of the snake heads lashed out, Silena swung her blade and cut it off.

Before the severed head even hit the ground, the bleeding stump began to bubble. Charlie took that as her queue. She dodged a snake head which projected acid two feet away from her, then skirted away from another head that was trying to eat her. Finally, she reached the stump, which began to split down the middle. Charlie thrust the torch against the neck and seared the wound.

She waited till the count of five. No heads sprouted from the blackened stump.

Silena and Charlie continued doing that seven more times, that when the Hydra had finally turned to dust, they were on the floor, out of breath. Charlie took a look around the battle field again to see the monsters scrambling.

A new hunter that Charlie hadn't recognized before, had joined the fight. She was about twelve or thirteen with auburn colored hair and for some reason, he silver aura was stronger than the other girls, and her aim was insanely perfect. She shot monsters from at least a dozen feet away, disintegrating them with just her one arrow.

Thalia was still battling Kelli, the Empousa, but a new person had joined their fight.

"I don't know who you resemble most, Jackson." Kelli hissed "Your annoying father, your treacherous mother or your namesake."

Luke swung his blade at Kelli, but she simply dodged. "What do you think, Thalia?" Kelli smiled "I think he's a replica of _our_ Luke."

Thalia screamed and threw her spear, directly hitting Kelli in her donkey leg. She roared in pain, but the hit wasn't enough to vaporize her. Thalia quickly drew a knife from the folds of her jacket and with one swift motion, she buried the blade in Kelli's heart and the Empousa turned into dust.

Thalia immediately crumbled to the ground and started sobbing.

"The Fleece," Silena said, distracting Charlie from the sight "It has to be that way."

They rose and proceeded down the corridor until they spotted a figure of a man carrying a giant blanket. Charlie had never held the Fleece, but she knew that it was heavy. It wasn't exactly a blanket you can just walk around with, but this guy sure pretended like it was. He trotted along, holding the Fleece in his right hand.

Silena took that to her advantage. She sped up, using her crazy Hermes speed, to advance from behind.

She drew her sword and jabbed at the man's head. He snarled and swatted the sword aside. His hand changed into an orange paw, with enormous claws that slashed at Silena's arm. The strike was clearly painful but she managed to roll backward and land on her feet.

The man produced a leathery, scorpion like tail that bristled with spikes at the tip. He aimed it at Silena and shot a spike that hit her right in the shoulder. She screamed in pain and collapsed on the floor.

The man roared and began to change. He grew larger until he was in his true form—his face still human, but his body that of a huge lion. His leathery, spiky tail whipped deadly thorns in all directions. Charlie had enough time to duck before he hit her too.

"A Manticore." Charlie whispered underneath her breath.

She knew she couldn't get close without the monster projecting all of his spikes at her. She had no arrow, nothing to throw and no water around. She was out of options.

 _Water_. As the thought hit her brain, she felt it. Gallons and gallons of water, gushing down a stream... and she was directly underneath it. The Manticore must have been headed towards a nearby exit, because usually Charlie couldn't feel water beyond the layer of dirt ceiling above them.

"Yield!" The Manticore roared. He had a weird accent and that was the first time Charlie noticed his different colored eyes, but she didn't have time to admire his appearance. She focused all her energy and called to the sea, picturing the waves and the currents, the endless power of the ocean.

Then, the ceiling collapsed, completely drowning the corridor.

The Manticore wasn't a swimmer. He kept drowning and spitting streams of water. Charlie took the advantage and swam, sword in hand, to him. She jammed the blade in his lion skin, barely hearing his underwater roar of pain before completely disintegrating into dust.

Then, Charlie willed the water to recede, to flow into the endless halls of the magical Labyrinth. The Golden Fleece emerged between the Manticore's ashes. Charlie grabbed the gold ram skin and lifted it.

 _Definitely heavier than a blanket._ She thought.

She heard a groan. Somehow between the fight with the Manticore and his drowning, Charlie completely forgot about Silena.

She was laid on the floor, wet and with nasty cuts on her arm and a spike sticking out of her shoulder. Charlie quickly ran to her side. Her face was pale and sweaty, barely conscious.

Charlie asked her to stay still as she pulled out the spike, but her wounded shoulder immediately started bleeding. Charlie cursed herself. She didn't have her nectar or ambrosia, and she wished she had paid more attention to Woodrow's Survival 101 lessons.

She flipped Silena on her back. It was silly that Charlie was so worried about her. She had only known Silena for less than three days, but there was no denying that she felt something for her. Charlie had been thinking about how her life was going to be like around camp with a real friend by her side, and she wasn't going to lose that friend now.

"Silena," Charlie felt a lump starting to form in her throat "Hang on, please."

Silena groaned, trying to sound a word.

"What?" Charlie asked.

"Fleece." She said weakly.

Charlie stared at her hands, and wondered how she could be so stupid. She quickly covered Silena's body with the giant golden healing blanket, and prayed to Athena and Poseidon as Silena slipped out of consciousness.

"Please, please." Charlie muttered.

Then, the color returned to her face and her eyes fluttered open. She rose, all of her cuts and gashes had disappeared. Her wounded shoulder and arm were completely healed.

Silena hugged Charlie so tight, she didn't care if couldn't breathe or that her ribs might break. All she could think about is how she almost lost Silena.

"Seriously?" Silena let go, with a sarcastic smile on her face. "You had the Fleece in your hand! You're a legacy of Athena for Hera's sake."

"Hey!" Charlie laughed "I'm a Poseidon girl, you know that."

"Just thought you were a little smarter."

"Shut up La Rue"

Charlie helped her up, with the fleece still on her back, and they walked back to the arena.

"You guys found it!" Chuck exclaimed as he saw them and hugged the both of them.

For a moment, everything was right in the world. Charlie had just succeeded in her first quest, and together they all saved Camp Half Blood. She wished she could stay in that moment forever.

But, of course, something went wrong immediately.

"Heroes," The auburn haired hunter approached them "Your quest is not yet over."

The three of them broke away from their hug.

"Your camp is in grave danger." She said. "Without its borders, its became vulnerable to the power of ancient forces. Without this fleece, Camp Half Blood is doomed."

"Lady Artemis," Luke said "You know how to navigate the Labyrinth and you're a powerful goddess. Can you help us- with whatever is going to destroy camp?"

Charlie was a little surprised to find this girl, who couldn't have looked any older than her, was Artemis, goddess of the hunt.

"I am sorry, hero." Artemis replied "The Fates have already woven the future. I was destined to be a part of this fight, but fighting _her_... that is not my fate."

The way she said _her_... it almost seemed like she was afraid of whoever _her_ was.

"But" the goddess continued "You will need a good tracker to guide you out of the Labyrinth. Thalia, will you accompany those heroes?"

Thalia nodded.

"Very well." the goddess nodded. She wished Charlie and her friends good luck in the rest of their quest and left with the hunters the way they came from.

Being a hunter of Artemis definitely had its advantages, like navigating through an thousand year old Labyrinth at top speed and... yeah, being immortal.

The lieutenant of Artemis led everyone through hallway after hallway that it made Charlie wonder if Thalia could see through the mist.

"How do you know the way?" Silena asked.

"Hunters have been using the Labyrinth since it was resurrected." She said "It helps us move a lot quicker, plus we're naturally good trackers. This way!"

They followed her into a few more hallways until they arrived at a familiar train station: The bullet train that connected Camp Jupiter and Camp Half Blood... except that it was totally empty.

"Where's everyone?" Chuck asked.

"Preparing for battle." Luke said gravely "Something tells me whoever is attacking camp is a heck of a lot stronger than the couple of zombies from two weeks ago."

Charlie recalled the fight. It took all of camp's forces, and one almost-fatal burst of terror from Nico Di Angelo to expel the attacker. Just thinking about this next battle twisted Charlie's stomach into knots.

Back on land, it was nighttime. It was so dark that Charlie couldn't even see the usually brightly lit shrine of Ariadne that stood near the Labyrinth entrance.

" _Di Immortales._ " Thalia muttered. If it wasn't for the sound of her voice, she would have completely lost track of where she was.

"What's wrong?" Luke was barely visible, even though he stood less than a foot near her.

"Annabeth told me about her." Thalia cursed "This can't be good."

"Who's her?" Just as Charlie muttered those words, it clicked into her thick headed brain. The camp was attacked by Erebus' forces first. Of course, if Erebus had joined Pontus and Tartarus, then his wife would too. Camp was enveloped with a layer of complete... night.

"Nyx" Thalia said gravely.

Silena cursed. The shiny Golden Fleece on her back made her a little more visible than everybody else. "Artemis said this fleece is our only chance. We have to get to the border."

"How are we going to find it?" Luke said "I can barely see you."

"We have to." Thalia said. "Use anything that's a source of light. And stay together!"

Chuck volunteered to lead everyone, since he's been living at camp the most. Thalia and Luke trotted along behind him, sword and spear in hand. As Charlie drew her sword in her right hand, she felt somebody's hand hold her left one. Silena wedged herself next to Charlie, wrapping the Fleece above both of them.

"I don't want to get lost" she said. "Besides, this thing is heavy."

They trudged along, in the complete darkness. By Charlie's estimate, they must have at least reached the southern woods but obviously there was no way of knowing. It got so dark that every once in a while, Charlie had to make sure that Luke was still in front of her.

Also, she had to double check that she was still indeed holding Silena's hand. Charlie had never appreciated close contact. There was a reason she didn't have a close friend or a boyfriend and it wasn't because she was "busy" or she "wasn't ready for dating." Those were just the reasons she told her mom. In truth, she preferred to be alone.

All her life, she felt like she never belonged. Whether it was at home, when Luke and her mom were talking about the latest edition of _The Secrets of Deadalus and Archimedes_ By Leo Valdez, or at the Poseidon cabin, being the only person who's _not_ a child of Poseidon. The only thing she had in common with her cabin mates was having a father who lived at sea.

Even now that her dad was back home, it wasn't the same. It was like getting to know a stranger or a character she'd heard about in stories, not a real person... not a father. Maybe the whole reason why she liked being on this quest so much is so she wouldn't have to deal with her messed up family.

Charlie was always alone, secluded, an outcast. She considered holding Silena's hand in this moment a personal triumph. Charlie would have never thought about touching her, or anyone else for that matter, but the need for reassurance, to know that she wasn't all alone in this darkness, forced her to do so.

"Fighting that cyclops in the Labyrinth." Silena said.

"What?" Charlie asked

"It was nice." She answered. "We make a good team."

"I- I guess." Charlie couldn't help but smile.

"And the Fleece." Silena continued. "That was funny.

"Other than the fact that you could have died."

Silena laughed, her voice the only sound echoing through camp. "Keep saying nice things."

It dawned on Charlie what was going on. This wasn't just darkness, this was some sort of disease that can infect the mind, driving anyone insane by imprisoning them in a loop of their worst moments and insecurities. It was doing it to Charlie by having her think about her life. Silena must have figured this out on some level too- that was why she clinging to nice memories.

Charlie took a step forward, then she realized she didn't know where she was going "Where's Chuck?"

"Oh, Styx." Silena cursed "We lost them."

"Do you know where we are?"

"No," Silena snapped "We could be anywhere."

Silena was trembling and then, out of fret, she let go of Charlie's hand and tried to slip away from under the Fleece.

"Hey!" Charlie quickly grabbed her by the wrist "That _thing_ is alive. It gets to your most vulnerable emotion and heightens it. We need to stick together."

Silena looked around nervously but she nodded reluctantly. They continued moving.

Occasionally, Charlie would want to have a melt down, but she held it together for the sake of Silena and the fate of camp. She didn't know where she was headed, but if they stopped, the darkness will get to them.

"Charlie, you're lost." Silena pointed out.

"We have to keep going." Charlie looked over. They were nose-to-nose under the dim light of the Golden Fleece. Silena's eyes glinted brown. Her smell was like strawberries. How did she smell so good after days in the Labyrinth?

Then Silena did something Charlie could have never seen coming. She reached out and pulled Charlie to her, lowering her lips on hers. Charlie closed her eyes and melted as her whole body was consumed in that kiss. Then Silena pulled away.

"I needed to do that." Silena said

Charlie could have sat there all day in the darkness, trying to think if what happened was actually real or it was a figment of her imagination. Her mind wasn't working properly. She wondered if Silena had kissed her just to inspire her to keep going, or to distract her from their imminent deaths.

"Come on, Jackson." Silena ushered her.

"Wait," Charlie stopped "Do you smell that?"

"What?"

"Strawberries. I thought it was you but..."

Silena sniffed the air "We're at the Strawberry fields. The means the tree is that way."

They moved forward. The hill got steeper, and with every tree they passed, they tried feeling its branches. Charlie hoped they wouldn't piss off any dryads.

Finally, Charlie touched stone.

"The Athena Parthenos" Charlie stepped forward to the closest tree "This is Thalia's tree."

Silena removed the Golden Fleece from their backs, then Charlie felt it. Maybe the magic of the Fleece was protecting her from Nyx's darkness, but for whatever reason, Charlie's heart started pounding and filling with bad memories: The Aphrodite girl making fun of her, her Poseidon cabin mates enjoying the day their father visited camp.

It was irrational. She knew in the back of her mind there was nothing to be afraid of, but her hands were shaking. Every inch of her body was screaming at her to crouch and start crying.

Silena shuddered, probably feeling that effect too, but she still had enough willpower to drape the Golden Fleece over the lowest bough.

The moment she did, the moonlight finally seemed to pierce through the blanket of darkness around them. A cool breeze rustled in the branches and rippled through the grass, all the way into the valley. Everything came into sharper focus—the glow of the fireflies down in the woods, the smell of the strawberry fields, the sound of the waves on the beach.

Silena and Charlie hugged, nearly drawing the breath out of Charlie's lungs.

"PERCY!" Charlie's mom's voice echoed through the quiet hill.

Silena and Charlie exchanged looks and ran in the direction of the cabins. When they arrived, Charlie saw dazed campers trying to get their bearings. At the hearth, she saw Hazel Levesque moving the coals and firewood with her bare hands as if searching for something important. Beside her were colorful rocks popping out of nowhere. Was that gold?

Calypso was not too far away, collapsed on the floor crying. Next to her, Jason was clutching his stomach, wincing in pain. Tio Leo was between them trying to understand what was going on.

Charlie didn't know how Thalia and Luke had ended up at the cabins too, but he stood over Thalia's unconscious body, holding her hand, his grey-green eyes full of shock.

But probably the most disturbing sight was Charlie's dad's glowing spine. He had this spot, right in the middle of his back shinning in white. He was on the floor, choking, trying to grasp for air. Charlie's mom just stood over him, her eyes wide.

Charlie ran to him, grabbing her father by his arms and trying to balance him over her shoulder.

"Mom!" She yelled "What happened?"

"It was dark, and—" Her mom hesitated "And the arai, they whispered something about curses— Oh gods."

She snapped out of it and helped carry Percy, who was still choking "We have to get him to the lake."

"Why?" Charlie was confused.

"His curse," She said "It's back."


	49. The Sleeping Sister

**[N/A: So, I was gonna make this the last chapter before transitioning into the present because of the emotional scene at the end, but there's a couple loose ends that I want to get to before that... soooo one more chapter till schist go down! Oh btw someone asked me why Nico and Will were with Percy during the twelve years. It's because Nico used to be obsessed with pirates and Will looks hot in a pirate shirt and an eye patch, duhhh. Lol jk, it's because after they got rejected by adoption agencies, they wanted to get away and Percy needed all the help he can get to keep Pontus' forces from gaining their strength.]**

"You're my father?" Tom asked in disbelief.

Jason's stomach twisted into knots and his shoulders tensed like a bowstring ready to snap. If he wasn't afloat in the air, his knees would have collapsed.

"I know you must have mixed feelings about seeing me, but I want you to know..." Jason choked up. "I am so, so sorry, Tom. I-"

"Why did you lie to me?" Tom's face was stern.

"I was..." Jason glanced at Euros behind him "I lost sight of who I was for a really long time. I've been lost ever since I left you and Piper."

"Then why did you leave us?" Tom furrowed his eyebrows, his eyes glinting with pain.

Jason took a breath "There was a prophecy that said that the day I would meet you is going to be the day the Final prophecy starts."

"That's it?" Tom asked "Mom spent _years_ thinking that you fell out of love with her and she kept blaming herself for that. You put her in so much pain because you lied to her."

"I know Piper." Jason said "If I had told her the truth, she would have stayed. Ignored all dangers of that prophecy just to keep our family together."

Tom didn't argue, but he didn't drop his gaze.

"I can't pretend to know you, Tom," Jason continued "But you're a praetor. You understand the importance of duty and sacrifice, even if it costs your life."

Jason was cut off by the sound of an explosion coming from Olympus.

"The gods are still at war." Euros said gravely "You heroes must hurry."

Euros lifted his hand and a dry wind howled. It hit Jason and Tom, carrying them beyond the windy barrier of Olympus, landing right into the heart of the ruined eternal city.

Above, Jason saw Athena wearing an Imperial Gold armor over flowing white robes. She had Aegis is one hand, and she threw a spear at Ares with the other. It would have been a perfect hit, but the god of war stopped the spear midair with one hand, then threw it back at Athena.

Standing back to back with Ares was Poseidon. It was weird not seeing the sea god in his casual Bermuda shorts and Hawaiian shirt because in his full war regalia, he looked downright terrifying. He swung is trident in the direction of Jason's father, projecting a blast of pure energy at him. The god of lightning simply deflected Poseidon's hit by willing the winds to misdirect it, changing its course to a statue of Aphrodite which collapsed on top near a few scrambling nymphs and dryads.

"Jason?" A voice asked. Jason turned his head and almost choked on his breath. It was like a ghost from his past had come to say hello.

The goddess in front of Jason stared at him with dark, piercing eyes. Her dark long hair dragged over a golden cloak which covered her armor. She had an Imperial gold Gladius in one hand and a shield in the other. Just looking at her, brought Jason some old memories: the day he got his tattoo, the day he'd been raised on a shield and proclaimed a praetor, the day he was made Pontifex Maximus of New Rome and the Twelfth legion. Her face symbolized every milestone in Jason's career.

"Reyna"

* * *

Jason tried to stay conscious, even when the blood started seeping through his shirt and the world around him became a blur as he lost all senses.

The last thing he remembered was him and Will Solace walking to the Apollo cabin and then the lights went out, which frankly made no sense to Jason because the camp's hearth never goes out.

He shouted for Will, but the son of Apollo was nowhere to be found. Jason tried walking, but with the total darkness, he couldn't find his bearings, and with no one nearby, he had nowhere to go. Jason was utterly alone and without any direction.

Then, after what seemed like a lifetime, the darkness receded and Jason heard multiple screams coming from everywhere. He saw Frank pointing at the fire of the hearth and muttering "firewood" while slowly losing his consciousness. Hazel, seeing him in pain, ran to the hearth, leaving a trail of precious metals behind her.

Jason didn't have time to watch, because he felt as if someone had drove a poisoned imperial gold _spatha_ through his chest, exiting from his back, but the thing is... no one did. He looked down and saw the wound smoking.

"Holy Hades," Will's voice muttered. Jason's eyes were too blurry to tell where he was.

His arms and legs started to tingle as his body went into crisis mode, sending all the blood to his chest. Will was using a bandage to quickly wrap the wounds on his back and stomach while pushing tiny bites of ambrosia into his mouth.

"I've bandaged as much as I can, Jason" He pulled out a flask of nectar and gave Jason a sip. "Blood is still soaking through. And the smoke. When did a celestial bronze sword drive you through like that?"

"It didn't" Jason's voice was weak. He looked at the smoke curling from his bandages, while he chugged on nectar that tasted like liquid sawdust.

"Hang in there." Will shouted for help "I'll get you to the Apollo cabin."

Another wave of pain made him wince.

"Hey! Stay with me, Grace." Will ordered, but Jason could feel his own consciousness slip away His head lolled back. Then the world turned black, and Jason saw nothing at all.

The next day, Jason woke up in the Apollo cabin next to Nico. The son of Hades was still under doctor's orders to stay in the Apollo Cabin intensive care pit after his explosion of terror, though he looked a lot better than a few days ago.

"What happened?" Jason asked.

Nico smiled "It's nice not to be the last one to know about everything."

"What?"

"Nothing." Nico waved him off "We got attacked by Nyx."

Jason's eyes widened. "The _Nyx_?"

"Yeah." Nico then proceeded to explain what happened on Silena La Rue-Rodriguez's quest of getting the Fleece, even down to Charlie's dream about the Fates running out of yarn and Nyx's weird darkness wave that made everyone face their worst fear. "She left us with parting gifts."

"What do you mean?"Jason sat up, but his vision turned a pale shade of green that sent quickly sent him back to lying position.

"That wound," Nico pointed at Jason's chest "You recognize it, don't you?"

He was right. Jason was once impaled by Michael Varus' golden gladius long ago. The laceration had lasted days. It smoked and turned an ugly shade of purple, and didn't disappear for days, not until he had met the goddess Kymopoleia.

The wound he has right now is in the exact same location as the one he'd gotten from Michael's ghost.

"How?" Jason knitted his eyebrows.

"Nyx revived old curses." Nico continued.

"Curses?"

"Frank has his firewood back." Nico said gravely "Hazel can't go anywhere without gold and platinum popping everywhere."

"She must have had help from those dark gods." Jason speculated.

Nico nodded "Definitely. This is why you got a laceration or why Annabeth can't walk without limping on her ankle."

"Oizys, god of pain" Jason speculated "Who else got cursed?"

"All the cabins." Nico said "Cabin nine's inventions keep exploding everywhere. The Demeter cabin's plants are withering, even the strawberry fields."

Jason shuddered at the thought of camp suffering "What about the people?"

"Besides Frank and Hazel," Nico shifted uncomfortably. "Chris Rodriguez had been driven completely insane."

Jason had heard about when Chris had arrived at Clarisse's house in Arizona, driven completely insane in the Labyrinth. "Mr. D can't help?"

"Chiron is making him do his best." Nico said "He says it's not as easy as it looks."

"At least he's trying." Jason sighed "Are the rest of our friends okay?"

Nico didn't meet Jason's eyes. "Calypso lost her immortality. She's shaken up, but she's glad Nyx didn't send her to Ogygia. Then there's Percy... both his curses are back."

" _Both_?"

"Achilles curse, and well... his other curse."

Jason's heart sank. Not more than a few days ago, Percy had come back from his twelve year banishment at sea. It was the happiest Jason had ever seen his old friend, being around his wife and two children. The guy seriously had needed a break from all his hardships.

"Oh gods," Jason shook his head "Luke and Charlie must be devastated. And Annabeth... I can't even imagine."

"Annabeth and Charlie definitely are..."

Jason raised his eyebrow "What about Luke?"

"I think..." Nico stammered "I think he's more worried about someone else..."

Nico still avoided looking at Jason "Who?"

"It's... It's Thalia." Nico said with difficulty? "She's at the Big House. Ever since Nyx left, she's been in some sort of... coma."

Jason stood up so fast that the world started spinning. He leaned over at a table, ignoring the shooting pain in his gut and Nico trying to get him to lie down. He had lost so much... so many people, he wasn't ready to lose his sister. Even if he doesn't see Thalia as much as he liked too, she was the only family left.

He struggled outside cabin seven. With every step feeling his insides tearing apart. Did the wound hurt this much last time?

With difficulty, he made it across to the Big House. He saw Clarisse and Silena, behind closed doors, where Chris can be heard screaming. Silena was crying in her mother's arms, and Clarisse was trying to assure her that none of this was her fault.

"My boy," Chrion grasped Jason's arm, helping him balance himself "You should be resting."

"Where is she?" Jason demanded.

Chrion's eyes radiated sadness "In there."

Jason let go of Chrion's hold on him, trying to keep himself standing by leaning on furniture. He stood at the door of Annabeth's old room and saw Thalia's lifeless body laying on the bed. As soon as he saw her, Jason's entire body went numb with nausea. She looked peaceful and was still surrounded by a timid silver aura. It was as if she was peacefully asleep.

Annabeth saw Jason. She quickly helped support his weight on her shoulder. Charlie and Luke were standing on the other side of the room, tears flowing down both of their faces. Charlie glanced at Luke every few seconds, as if to make sure he was doing okay. She was holding his hand, while he had his other hand in Thalia's.

"We tried using the Fleece, Jason" Annabeth spoke, her voice sounded like she'd been crying a lot "It worked last time, but I don't know what's wrong."

"Even-" Jason's voice seemed to fail him "Even the Fleece's power has limits."

"You should sit down." Annabeth insisted.

He got close to the chair, but more pain shot to his chest. He winced and dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach. His vision tunneled, now only seeing Thalia in her bright silver jacket and her black pants.

Jason couldn't take it anymore. He began to cry, at first slightly, then uncontrollably. He sobbed for Piper, the only woman he had ever loved and the only woman he'll ever love. He sobbed for Tom, the son who he'd never met. He sobbed for Thalia, the only trace of family he had left in the world. But most of all, he sobbed for himself. He was so alone, so terribly alone. How did his life manage to turn out this way? Why did he have to suffer so much? When will it end?

"It will end soon." Jason gazed up, tears still flowing down his face. The room had turned pure white. Luke, Charlie and Annabeth were gone. Instead, Jason saw his father.

Jupiter appeared only a few feet older than Jason, wearing a dark blue pinstriped suit. His hair blond like Jason's. His face was serious and stern but his lightning blue eyes looked at Jason with gaze that was filled with compassion.

"Dad." Jason wiped his eyes. He realized he must have lost consciousness and Jupiter was visiting him in a dream.

"Rise, my son." Jupiter extended his arm and helped Jason up "You have been stronger and more resilient than any hero."

"Why?" Jason pleaded. "Why do _I_ have to give up so much?"

"It is the will of the fates," Jupiter said. "But there is light at the end of your dark tunnel."

"I'll be with Piper and Tom?" Jason asked. It seems too good to be true after everything he'd been through for the past two decades.

"Yes," His eyes flickered "You will be with your family, but it will come at a steep price."

"So Apate was right about that prophecy." Jason's shoulder slumped.

"I'm afraid so." The god said "The day you meet Thomas will be a dark day for gods and mortals alike. It will damage many things, many people."

Suddenly at the mention of the world's end, Jason remembered something he had learned from Nico this morning about Charlie meeting the Fates. "What's happening to the world, dad?"

"That I do not know." Jupiter's gaze became distant "But, I will tell you a secret that I have kept for thousands of years from mortals." Jason listened intently. His father was trusting him with top secret information. What could that possibly mean? "When I took my father's throne, I was given a prophecy. It declared that the age of the gods will come to an end someday. I'm afraid that prophecy is not as far in the future as I had thought."

"But, you're... you're-" Jason couldn't finish his thought. There was so many things to describe Jupiter: god of the sky and lightning, king of the gods, lord of the universe but a dying god isn't one of them.

"Even gods don't last forever." Jupiter said in a dark tone. "My father received a prophecy about the end of his reign, and so did his own father. I cannot fight fate anymore than you can."

Jason clenched his fist. "So you're saying we're doomed."

Jupiter shot him a smile. It may have been a proud one or a sympathetic one. Jason couldn't tell. "Do you know why the Trojan War is so important?"

"It was the first human war where the gods–"

"It is important because of one single hero." Jupiter cut him off.

"Achilles?" Jason speculated. After all, he was the greatest hero of all time, singlehandedly defeated thousands of warriors and was a main reason why the Greek had won.

Jupiter seemed like he had expected this answer "No, his name was Aeneas."

Jason knew the story of Aeneas ever since he was a kid at Camp Jupiter. After the fall of Troy, Aeneas had traveled to find a new home for his people and found what is now modern day Italy. The hero was credited for forming the Roman Civilization. "He's a great hero, but what makes him so important?"

"Aeneas is the reason why the gods, Greek and Roman, exist today." Jupiter explained "He carried his faith in the gods with him to Italy, and forced it to spread through generations of his children and his children's children. He never blamed the gods for the fall of his city and the burning of his dearest friends and family. He chose to carry the Greek civilization on his back while travelling across the Mediterranean. It was because of one hero, one choice that the gods are still alive today."

"So you're saying that without Aeneas," Jason tried to understand "The gods would have seized to exist after the fall of the Greek Empire?"

Jupiter nodded "All it takes is one person to make a difference, one small detail to change everything. Aeneas could have left his belief behind after the gods failed to save Troy, but he chose to carry us in his heart."

"Why are you telling me this?" Jason asked.

"I do not know much about my prophecy. The whole thing is obscured from my vision of the future. But, there will be a descendant of mine that will play a big role in it. I wish it be you, my son."

"You barely know me." Jason said "How can you trust me with saving your entire existence?"

"That is not true." Jupiter announced, his eyes for once radiated a small amount of warmth "I am always with you, Jason. I have always watched over you, but I must not interfere with your path. You have to make the right choice yourself, just like Aeneas did."

Jason couldn't explain his next move but charged in and hugged his father. He took in his warm body, his scent of rain and clean wind. It was weird. Jason was forty-four years old and had never hugged his father before. He could feel his fears melting, his insecurities fading as Jupiter cupped on the back on Jason's head, but he knew in his heart that the worst is yet to come.


	50. The Last Night At Camp

"What happened?" Jason shouted over the explosions all around while the three of them ducked behind debris that probably used to be a temple for Demeter.

"Yesterday," Reyna said "Apollo came to me and said he wants to overthrow Zeus."

"What?!" Tom exclaimed.

"It was so out of context." She continued "He said Zeus has been in power for too long and that Olympus needs a democracy, not a dictatorship. He rallied Poseidon, Hades, Athena, Hera and well... here we are."

"Eris did it." Jason said. A sound of another explosion was heard over the distance.

"Can't you like stop them?" Tom asked Reyna "You're the goddess of peace."

"A _new_ and _minor_ goddess." Reyna snapped "I've been trying to get through to Apollo or Athena, but it's like talking to a brick wall."

"What are we going to do?" Tom looked at Jason. He wished he had an answer, but he was fresh out. He was reminded of the words Jupiter had told him. _Even gods don't last forever._ Could Jupiter's prophecy be unfolding at the same time as The Final Prophecy? If Jason had learned anything, it's that coincidences are never just coincidences.

"I don't think we _can_ do anything, Tom." Reyna admitted.

"But we can't defeat the giants without the gods." Tom said. "They'll destroy the camp in seconds."

"We'll die if we interfere with their fight" Jason turned to Reyna. It was unbelievable that she looked the same after so many years. "And we already have a goddess, don't we?"

Reyna shot Jason a warm smile. "There are a few gods who have gone MIA. Artemis and Dionysus. Maybe we'll see them in the battlefield down there."

Tom shook his head "I still think we need to try to get through to the Olympians, but I doubt I'll be able to argue with you two."

Jason wondered if Tom was right. This may as well be their last fight ever. Heck, maybe the last fight in the world, but Jason wasn't going to tell anyone about that. With one last look at the collapsing palaces and temples of the eternal city, Reyna transported Jason and Tom back to camp.

* * *

Jason woke up at his old room in the Big House with Annabeth sitting by his bedside. There were dark circles underneath her sad grey eyes. The worry lines on her face had deepened. The glow had gone from her skin, and her body was harder, less supple than it had been. Percy might have been the one that left, but he took Annabeth's spirit with him.

"Hey," Jason said.

Annabeth looked up and forced a smile "Hey. How are you?"

Jason swallowed. How was he? His father just told him that the age of the gods, and the world as we know it, might be coming to an end soon. His older sister was under some kind of curse, unable to wake. The prophecy of the deception goddess was true, and meeting Tom will kick start the most dangerous prophecy ever. There were no words to describe how he felt right about now.

"I... I have to tell you something." Annabeth said after Jason's long pause. "I'm moving to New Rome."

Jason tried to raise his body, the pain in his gut was still sharp, but more bearable than before "What? Why?"

"You haven't _seen_ camp, Jason." She choked up "Those curses..."

"We'll break them, Annabeth." Jason reached for her hand.

"You don't understand." She said, leaning in close to him "Camp Half Blood is my home. Seeing it like this- I just can't do it."

Jason sighed. Just the sight of Annabeth hopeless like that broke his heart into million pieces. She'd suffered so much for no reason. He couldn't argue with her. She deserves some peace, even if it's short termed.

"I understand." He rubbed her hand for comfort "I think Camp Jupiter could benefit from a daughter of Athena. How do Luke and Charlie feel about that?"

"They'll finish their school year here in New Athens." She said "Charlie said she wants to spend the summer here too, Luke might come to California, and the new baby... I don't know yet."

"Wait what?"

Annabeth was teary eyed now "I'm pregnant."

Jason's heart almost leaped out his chest "Oh gods, it's not-"

"No!" she snapped "Gods no. Percy wanted a chance to raise at least _one_ of his kids."

It might not have been appropriate, but Jason smiled and leaped forward to hug Annabeth. He felt bad for Percy. He knew what it was like, and the thought of having another kid with Piper after all this definitely crossed Jason's mind. He related to Percy and empathized with him.

"Congratulations, Annabeth." Jason said, actually meaning it. Annabeth will forever be a big part of Jason's life, but he knows now that it will never be romantic. Annabeth Chase was his big sister, just like Thalia. She was family.

Jason spent the afternoon trying to walk around the Big House. Somehow his conversation with Jupiter and Annabeth had made his pain more manageable.

"You should be in bed." Will said when he saw Jason at a table discussing border defenses with Frank and Nico.

"I'm fine, Will" Jason assured him. "I want to help."

Will looked like he wanted to argue but Nico interrupted him "Will and I are taking the upstairs room. Guess we'll be your new roommies."

Jason smiled. He loved Will and Nico. Those guys have been there for him so many times and Jason had a long friendship with both of them, but unfortunately, living at the Big House didn't seem like something Jason was supposed to do anymore.

"Nah," he said "You can give the room to someone else."

Will and Nico exchanged looks "Where are you going?"

"Cabin One." Jason shrugged "Or the fifth cohort in Camp Jupiter. I'm going to be moving a lot."

Frank grinned, understanding what Jason had meant. "Pontifex Grace is back, huh?"

"Something like that." Jason said. "But instead of just building shrines, I'll be travelling around, trying to get in contact with gods. Who knows when we'll need a god on our side."

"You'll be camp's ambassador." Nico pointed out "I like it."

"Yeah," Jason thought that maybe when the big fight comes, Jason could offer more help than a load of lightning and blasts of wind.

Jason turned to Frank "How are you holding up? And Hazel?"

"We'll be fine." He shrugged "We spent a quarter of our lives with those curses. A fireproof pouch from Calypso and a memo to the Hermes cabin about not touching random precious metal on the ground, and well... we'll be fine."

Jason was glad to hear that. He thought about Hades' promise of a calm life for those two, but Nyx was a lot more powerful than an Olympian. It was obvious she was targeting the seven of the prophecy specifically, and that included Hazel and Frank.

Jason wondered how Percy was doing. As the most powerful demigod, and a personal offender to Nyx back from when he was in Tartarus, she must have had a huge grudge against him. She forced him to spend another twelve years of his life sailing the endless sea. Not only that, but he had a bigger curse on his back now... literally. The Curse of Achilles was back and without Annabeth by his side, it wouldn't be easy.

"Any idea who's taking Jason's room?" Frank changed the subject.

"We have a lot of applicants." Will said "We'll have to free up some rooms around here."

"If you have an extra one in four months," Frank said "Hazel and I will take it."

"Why four months?" Jason furrowed his brows.

Frank was turning red "I just think a move would be hard for a five month pregnant woman."

"What?!" Nico exclaimed with a smile. The three of them immediately started congratulating and chiding him for not telling anyone earlier. Frank apologized and started explaining to them that they didn't want the attention.

"You guys know the gender?" Nico asked.

"Ooh, and the name?" Will chimed in.

"It's baby girl." He admitted "Hazel wanted to name her after her older sister, Bianca."

Will wrapped his arm around Nico, who couldn't help but smile.

"I think that's a great name." Jason admitted.

In the quiet evening, Jason Iris messaged the goddess Artemis, informing her about Thalia's situation. She explained that it was out of her hand, and that she doesn't interfere with Nyx due to ancient laws. Thalia will have to wake using the help of mortals.

Jason took a look at Thalia's still body and wished he knew what to do. He decided he didn't want to see her like this. When he opened the door, he saw Luke standing outside.

"Is Artemis going to help?" Luke asked, his tone grave.

"No," Jason replied "We'll have to figure this out on our own."

"Uncle Jason," Luke looked up to meet his eyes "Can I- Can I tell you something?"

Jason nodded and he invited Luke inside. They sat near Thalia's bed.

"When Thalia and I were in that dark fog," Luke started "We lost Charlie and Silena. We didn't know what to do and we both started freaking out."

"That was part of Nyx's plan."

"Yeah, I know." Luke said with difficulty. "I figured it out and so I felt like if I had someone there beside me, I would be more sane... so I held Thalia's hand."

Jason didn't know where he was going. Luke spoke with such pain, with so much regret.

"When I held her hand, I felt like I was home- like that was where I belonged."

"Luke-"

"I know." He interrupted "You're going to say that I'm crazy, but I swear it felt like I've held her hand before, and that I was _meant_ to hold her hand forever."

Jason realized what Luke was saying, but the problem was Thalia was a hunter of Artemis. She wouldn't break her vow. He didn't want the kid to get his hopes up. "Luke, that darkness was really powerful."

Luke sighed "Forget it." He stood up and ran for the door.

Jason didn't understand what Nyx had done to Luke, but it definitely wasn't good. He was smitten by a girl he barely knew. It was impossible to fall in love with just the touch of a hand. That was crazy.

At night, Jason attended the campfire sing along, though it wasn't the same. The campfire flames always reflected the campers' moods, and today they burned black. Young kids all around had frowns on their faces, as if someone had taken everything they got.

Ever since Apollo's marriage, his cabin was mostly uninhabited, so cabin 28 took the lead on the sing-alongs. Cabin 28 was known as the Muses cabin, housing children of the nine muses. Those kids could throw a party unlike any other, but between the Aphrodite kids who can't do perfect eyeliners to the Tyche cabin's bad luck and Nike's cabin losing streak, even the cabin 28 kids could do so much.

Leo had joined Jason that night. He usually never attends camp activities as he's busy working in his personal workshop in New Athens. It only meant that Leo was affected by Cabin nine's curse too.

"How's Calypso?" Jason asked.

"Ah, she'll be fine." Leo said, though he didn't quiet believe it himself. "Man, what Nyx did... That was some serious voodoo."

"I can't even think about fighting Tartarus." Jason tucked his legs underneath his arms.

"And that, ladies and gentleman," He fake announced "Is our very own ray of sunshine, Jason Grace."

Jason couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't that Leo had made a good joke, but Jason felt the need to laugh. He need to know that there was still good in the world, still things to enjoy.

"What are we laughing at?" Hazel and Frank sat Leo's side. Seeing her now, Jason wondered how he didn't figure out she was pregnant. She was as swollen as the laceration on his gut.

"Just my amazing sense of humor." Leo boasted.

"That's not it." Annabeth joined them.

"I'm funny, okay?"

"Funny looking." Frank pointed out. The five of them started laughing, with Annabeth almost toppling over and Hazel snorting in that cute way she does.

Together, the five of them sat there on the steps of the amphitheater even after everyone had left, recounting old stories, singing their own favorite campfire songs, and making fun of Leo. They didn't stop until the sun shone and Jason appreciated every single moment of friendship that night and prayed to the gods that it wasn't their last... that they'll have more moments like these with _all_ of the seven someday.


	51. A Quest with an Old Friend

**[Here we go. What we all waited for! The Final Prophecy. I'm actually so excited to be writing this part of the story. This chapter is all about the second generation. Sorry for being such a slow writer!]**

Tom found himself back at Camp Half Blood with Reyna and Jason. It was still day and Half Blood Hill was still calm relatively speaking. He saw campers rushing around, transferring weaponry here and there. No one looked okay. Every single person had either a dozen cuts across their body or a look on that meant they had lost a person dear to them.

At Tom's side, Reyna and Jason were talking strategy. Tom couldn't help but look at his dad... if he could call him that. He was the man he'd resented for so long, ever since the encounter at Aeolia, when the master of winds kicked him out of the palace for the actions of his father. Tom had tried to explain that he doesn't know his father, but the god didn't listen.

From that, to leaving his mom, to lying to him this morning, Tom wasn't a big fan of the infamous Jason Grace.

"I have to go check on the legion," Tom announced, interrupting their conversation. They nodded their heads in understanding, though Jason's eyes screamed for him to stay. Tom left before Jason got the chance to say anything.

He approached the first person to ask where Emily was. Coincidentally, he ran into an old friend.

"Luke!" Tom said, wide eyed. He hadn't seen him in such a long time, not since Tom's last year as centurion at Camp Jupiter. Luke was his bunk mate in the fifth cohort and one of his good friends. In fact, it was because of Luke that Tom was promoted to centurion, but unfortunately, they had drifted apart after Luke had graduated high school and decided to attend the University of New Athens last year.

During their years together, they were inseparable. It wasn't traditional for descendants of Poseidon and Jupiter to get along, but they did. They destroyed the chariot races, the Roman war games and everything else together. Luke was the only person who Tom felt comfortable talking about Jason to. Jason had been his personal teacher in fact. Tom sometimes felt jealous about that, but he thought that Luke felt the same whenever Tom talked about his adventure aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge with Percy Jackson.

But Luke's biggest problem was never Percy. Tom remembered Luke was completely in love with Thalia Grace, leader of the hunters who has been cursed to a deep sleep for more than five years now. Tom had tried relentlessly to set Luke up with girls, but the guy was loyal like crazy. Tom still remembers the time he time he'd forced him to go out with Emily Zhang on valentine's day of junior year. Emily was the easiest-to-talk-to person on Earth, but somehow Luke was so uncomfortable, he ended up bolting.

"Tom," Luke answered "Nice to see you in one piece."

"You too, man." Tom said as he embraced his old friend in a hug. Even with just a brief touch, he could feel Luke tensed up. Tom knew something was wrong. "Is um- Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's just my dad." Luke said, his tone sad.

"Oh gods, is he-"

"No, no." Luke said quickly "With the Achilles curse, I don't even think that's possible. I just had a talk with him about Thalia."

"I'm guessing it didn't go well..."

"He said that it had to be Aphrodite or Eros messing with me... that I'm out of my head."

Tom studied him "You still don't think it's them?"

"Nah. It's like-"

"You knew her your entire life" Tom continued. He had heard that so many times. "I know."

"Shut up, Grace." Luke said with a smile "Dude, I'm actually glad you're here. Tio Leo expects me to lead the Greek army into battle."

"So?"

"So, I'm not a leader." He admitted "You're praetor. I was hoping for some advice."

"Dude, I've seen you. You sell yourself too short" Tom said "Your mom and dad are Camp Half Blood's most famous leaders. It's in your blood."

"Says the nineteen year old grandson of Aphrodite who's never had a girlfriend."

"Shut up, Jackson." Tom laughed. Despite that being true, it never really hurt Tom. He's never connected to his mom's side of the family anyways. He always felt drawn to the Jupiter in him, which was why he became praetor and his tattoo is of an eagle. The charmspeak was sweet sometimes, but it wasn't as strong as his mother's. It was only enough to convince two people to stop fighting at times. Maybe Tom disliked his father, but he was more like him than he'd like to admit. "Where are you headed?"

"My sister and a bunch of the others are having a meeting at Thalia's tree. Emily's gonna be there too. You should come."

Tom nodded and together they trudged along to the top of the hill. Besides the huge pine tree stood the two satyrs, Chuck and Peter. Tom had worked with Peter before, the most active member of the Council of Cloven Elders. Chuck had been a long personal friend of Tom's. He grew up with the guy.

Besides them stood the youngsters, Bianca and Bobby. Bianca was Emily's little sister, but Tom never knew her that well. She spent all her time in Camp Half Blood with her parents. Emily said that she was always drawn to the Greeks and their style and that Camp Jupiter wasn't her thing. Emily had told him she liked to stay at the Hades cabin so she can learn to control her underground powers.

Next to her was Bobby, who looked a little woozy from a wound on his arm, yet his fierce grey eyes clearly indicated that he was ready for the next fight. Tom had met him a few times, and the kid was crazy smart. He could know his opponents weakness at first glance, and would know how to take one down in a few moves.

It was unbelievable that these two were six year olds, with swords across their waists and breast plates on their bodies. Tom couldn't help but feel sorry that they have to go through all this.

Many others were a part of this meeting. Mostly, the Greek camp counselors. Tom singled out Candice and Sam among the few faces he recognized.

Tom and Luke stood between Emily and Charlie. Emily and Tom wore their matching purple cloaks over Imperial gold armor. They looked like the wonder twins. Luke stood next to his sister, Charlie who had her girlfriend Silena at her side.

"I'm telling you," Sam said "If we fight this, we'll lose."

"We'll have a chance if the Olympians are on our side." Emily said.

"They're not." Tom announced "The only goddess we have is Reyna."

"And Artemis." Luke said "We got an Iris message from Piper McLean. The hunters are outside the borders, trying to slow down the enemy from the other side."

"Mom's here?" Tom's eyes widened. His mom hadn't been in a fight since she defeated the Earth goddess. She hasn't held a weapon for twenty years.

Luke nodded at him then turned back to face the others. "Look, I know I said we can beat this army back in the Big House, but to be honest... I don't know."

Charlie looked at him like he just offended her very existence. "Are you saying we should surrender?"

"No," Peter snapped "We're saying this fight is a little out of our league. We have _multiple_ primordial gods outside our borders, ready to storm in with giants and gods know what else. Come on, Charlie, of all people _you_ should know this fight is doomed."

"Me?"

"The Fates spoke to you." Candice pointed out "The last time they ran out of yarn, the first Titan war broke out and the gods took over the world. The end is freaking nigh. The apocalypse is coming... to a theater near you."

"Who says that didn't happen when our parents fought Gaea?" Charlie said "Or during the second Titan war? They might just need to go to a yarn store a pick up a new batch. Contact their supplier of yarn or something. It doesn't matter what they said. We're demigods. We fight even if the chances are next to nothing."

"She's right." Tom announced. He had a crazy thought. Crazy enough to get him to admit him into a psych ward, but if Tom knew anything, it was that crazy ideas are the only thing they got right now.

Charlie huffed "Of course I am."

"No, about the restocking part."

Emily frowned "What are you talking about?"

"Think about it," Tom said "The gods run on a hierarchical power system. The minor gods get orders from the Olympians. The Olympians are under Zeus' command... but even Zeus follows the power of someone else, and that's the Fates. Everyone has a boss, and I'm betting The Fates have one too."

"I've never heard of anything like that." Silena furrowed her brows.

"It's theoretical. I might be wrong." Tom said. "Who can fact check this? Bobby?"

"Sorry," He said, his voice still weak "I- I don't know. I would ask the Pontifex Maximus if I were you."

Tom silently cursed. He didn't want to work with Jason again. It had been uncomfortable enough this morning.

"I'll come with." Luke announced. Tom was grateful for that.

"Tom," Emily said before the two of them ran off "Come back before the fight. I can't lead the legion on my own."

Tom nodded, hoping he'll be able to do that. If what he had predicted was true, a quest would issued as soon as possible. It was nine hours till sundown. Nine hours to find whoever it was they were supposed to find.

They found Jason at the Big House basement. Reyna was nowhere in sight, probably helping with whatever god power she's got here and there. Beside Jason was ex-praetor Frank and Captain Jackson.

They were watching Hazel and Calypso use magic on a glass orb. Tom had never seen it before, but he'd heard the legends about the goddess of the sea that resided in a blue ball in Camp Half Blood's Big House basement. He always thought it was ridiculous, but being here now, there was no doubt that in there was a powerful entity.

On the side, Dr. Chase, a lady with messy orange hair and a harpy were flipping the pages of a book. Tom had to guess the pair were the oracle of Delphi and Ella, authors of the New Sibylline books. [Yes. Annabeth got a PhD. Yall really expected her to just graduate with a bachelors? Foolish mortals.]

Tom took a deep breath and got closer to Jason.

"Hey," He said. Jason turned around, a smile tugging at his mouth. "I might have something that can help with the war, but I can't do it without you."

"Anything."

Tom explained to him his theory about the Fates. Jason listened intently. Captain Jackson turned around shortly after and was listening to him as well.

"I haven't thought about it that way before." Jason admitted. "I would think they follow Aion, or Chronus."

"Please don't tell me Kronos is back too." Captain Jackson interrupted.

"No, not the Titan." Jason explained "Chronus is the primordial god of time and Aion is the god of eternity."

"That's so confusing." Captain Jackson said. It was a little hard to believe that a two-time-world-saving-hero was so normal. When Tom had met him a few years ago, it took him a long time to comprehend that the great Percy Jackson was so... human.

"Yeah," Jason continued "But I don't know if they have any kind of relationship with the Fates. I would imagine they do."

Luke exchanged a look with Tom then turned to Jason "Where can we find them?"

"No one knows. Not even gods."

"Great." Luke mumbled.

"But," Jason continued "If I had to give you your best lead, go see Mnemosyne."

"Goddess of memory." Tom frowned "Why?"

"Gods are forgetful." Jason said "That tends to happen when you're immortal, but Mnemosyne remembers everything. She had every memory engraved in her brain. She might remember where Aion or Chronus reside."

"Where is she?" Luke asked.

"The Underworld, tending her spring by the River Lethe."

"How are we going to get to the Underworld in time?" Tom asked.

"Take my dog." Captain Jackson suggested "Mrs. O'Leary can shadow travel you guys there, plus she knows her way down there."

Tom nodded and thanked them both. For once in his life, his father had actually helped with something.

Luke and Tom ran to the stables, where Blackjack, Luke's pegasus, had greeted them.

"Sorry Blackjack," Luke told him "We need to go to Underworld. And for the last time, stop calling me Tiny Boss!"

Blackjack neighed and got out of the way and Tom was quickly slammed by a wall of darkness and gallons of dog drool?

"Ow!" Luke said as he was getting licked by a giant tongue. "Hey, girl. Good to see you too."

"This is Mrs. O'Leary?" Tom asked "I thought Captain Jackson said she was a _dog_ "

"Hellhound dog." Luke explained "She's usually not this friendly with anyone. Uncle Nico and Charlie are pretty much her only friends, but I think she smells my dad's scent."

It took a few minutes for Mrs. O'Leary to calm down and get off them. By then they were pretty much drenched in dog drool. She wanted to play fetch, but Luke explained that they needed her on a special mission.

"WOOF" She barked, which sounded more like an artillery gun than an actual bark.

"She's in." Luke said "Hop on."

Tom climbed up her back and held her collar.

"Okay, girl." Luke rubbed her neck. "Take us to the Spring of Mnemosyne."

Mrs. O'Leary sniffed the air. She looked into the distance. Then she bounded forward, straight into an oak tree. Just before they hit, they passed into shadows as cold as the dark side of the moon.

When Tom could see again, the scene changed to a cliff near a river that churned through a gorge of volcanic rock. It was narrow and fast. The water was white as sheet of paper. On their other side was a pool of water as black as ink, and at the shore sat a woman in a long black dress.

Luke and Tom unsaddled Mrs. O'Leary and approached the woman.

"Excuse me," Luke said "Is this the Spring of Mnemosyne?"

The woman turned around. She had long luscious auburn colored hair, which perfectly matched her sparkling eyes. Her face was delicate and sublime, her lipstick, eye shadow, and mascara all expertly done in shades of midnight. "Yes, Luke!" She said, her voice a little giddy.

"How do you know who I am?"

"Word goes around and around and back around." She said "And I _never_ forget."

"You're the goddess." Tom pointed out.

"Yes, praetor. I'm Mnemosyne, goddess of language, words and memory."

"Our camp's in trouble." Luke said "We came here because we heard you have an extensive amount of knowledge and you can help us. We need to know where Aion or Chronus reside."

The goddess frowned "Why?"

"Our friend met the Fates." Tom explained "They said whoever runs fate is cutting their supply of yarn. We need to talk to whoever is in charge."

The goddess nodded. "Well, Aion has moved around quiet a bit. He is a little unpredictable. Styx told me that she'd heard from Thanatos who heard from Alecto that he was hiking up the Appalachian mountains. And last I heard, Chronus and his wife started a coffee shop at 84th and Madison on January 7th of 1988, but five years later, he had an affair with a mortal _man_ named Randy Waker and she found out and she didn't talk to him for like a month."

It was unbelievable that Mnemosyne had been able to say all that with just one breath. It reminded Tom of when the nymphs at Camp Jupiter would gossip together. Mnemosyne was as much of a gossip, if worse, than those girls.

"Great, thank you." Luke started turning away from Mnemosyne but she stopped him.

"Wait, you're gonna need something." Mnemosyne held out her hand, producing two vials of pure black liquids. "This is water from my spring. Persephone had told me that Lachesis told her that you're gonna need this."

Tom frowned "Did she say why?"

"No," she rolled her eyes "That stupid old Fate. She's secretive about so much stuff. I never liked her. You know I heard that-"

"Well, thank you anyways." Tom interrupted her before he had to hear another gossip session. He took the vials and turned around to where Mrs. O'Leary was.

Luke and Tom got on top of her again. Luke instructed her to go to the address Mnemosyne gave them, and she leaped forward towards the darkness.

After being in the dark Underworld for so long, Tom was struck by the sudden sunshine and sounds of cars of Manhattan. It was clearly still early morning. Tom saw high school aged kids walking together, carrying backpacks and laughing together.

The sight made Tom yearn for a normal life. Yes, being a demigod was nice, but he wondered what it must feel like to have a normal life, to not be raised by a mother who had saved the world, or lose a life with a dad because of a prophecy that could start the apocalypse or be surrounded by death all the time.

Mrs. O'Leary laid down, clearly exhausted. Tom and Luke got off and thanked her. Luke instructed her to wait outside and not cause any trouble. Tom wondered how the mist can hide a black hell hound the size of a small truck in the middle of the city, but people walked by her like they just saw a poodle.

Luke and Tom saw the coffee shop. It wasn't too big, nor too small. The sign out front said _Cup o' Joe. Its what you NEED!_ Inside, there was a small line to the cash register.

"What do you need, boys?" The woman said as they reached the front of the line. She was in her late twenties, wearing a brown apron with the store's logo on it: A coffee cup with a spindle on it. "I know you _need_ those blueberry scone. They're freshly made."

Tom suddenly had the compulsion to order a scone, despite his blueberry allergy. He knew he just needed to have those scones more than anything in the world.

"We'll have two scones, please." Luke said with a smile. It seemed as if he'd just forgotten what they were here for.

"And some coffee?" The lady asked "Everyone needs morning coffee, and you boys look like you've had a long night."

"Is Chronus around?" Tom asked, trying to dodge her silvery words.

"Are you friends of his?" The woman started wrapping the scones in a bag.

"No, ma'am." Tom said, careful not to offend her. He remembered from his talk with Mnemosyne that Chronus and his wife run this place, and this woman sure didn't seem human. "We're from Camp Half Blood."

"Oh! Godlingsssss!" She said, her voice suddenly became less human-like "I haven't ssssseen godlingsssss in a long time."

Luke instinctively reached for the hilt of his sword. The woman's green eyes immediately saw his arms move.

"Oh don't be sssssilly, you don't _need_ that sssssword." Her words must have had some sort of charmspeak because Luke immediately let go of his sword.

"Is Chronus here?" Tom asked again, his tone less friendly now.

"No, dear." She said "He'sssss out, but what do you _need_ from him?"

"We need to talk to him about the Fates." Luke stepped forward "They're running out of yarn."

"Oh Chronusssss can't help you with that." She said "He'sssss the god of time, not fate."

"What?" Tom asked furiously "If he can't then who?"

"Me, of courssssse!" She boasted "I'm Ananke, the _primordial_ goddesssss of fate."

"Ananke," Luke seemed to remember the name "I thought you were a goddess of necessity."

"Well, yesssss." Ananke crossed her arms "I usssssed to ssssspin the wheelsssss of fate before they took that duty from me. Nowadaysssss, I jussssst make yarn and coffee."

"So you're the one cutting their supply?" Luke drew his sword, but Tom wondered if that would do any good against a primordial goddess.

"They won't need it now." Ananke shrugged "Tartarusssss and his friendsssss are going to change the world."

"They're ending it!" Luke snapped

"Oh, no." She answered "He wantsssss to revolutionize the world, make one without the godsssss!"

"That won't happen!" Tom cried.

"I already sssssigned a contract to keep my coffee shop in hisssss new world. In exchange, I had to stop giving the fatesssss their preciousssss yarn."

"You're gonna end the gods to keep a coffee shop?" Luke asked "Who says Tartarus won't wipe out everyone?"

"And what is that contract you're talking about?" Tom asked

"Oh, there will be plenty of people." Ananke smiled, baring perfectly shaped fangs "Tartarusssss made sure of that. And the contractsssss are for the new godsssss of the new world!"

Luke was about to charge, but Tom knew better. He quickly held his wrist before he did anything to anger the goddess. No matter how strong they were, she was the goddess of fate. She could do anything to them with a snap of her finger.

As if reading his thoughts, Ananke charged them. She grew in size, transforming to reveal half of her body to be that of a giant snake and the other half of a woman with wings.

Before Tom could react, he heard Mrs. O'Leary's barks as she broke down the door and windows of Cup O' Joe. Luke and Tom instinctively climbed up her back and vanished from existence before Ananke charged them.


	52. A Choice

It seemed to have turned dark in seconds. Jason looked up to the changing colors of the sky. He saw the sun cast its golden rays down upon the clouds of billowing smoke, turning them bright red.

"Apollo," he muttered "Please, don't let this be our last sunset."

"Did you say anything?" Hazel asked him, looking up from wrapping bandages across his chest. Jason shook his head.

Somehow, the pain had became sharper over the course of the last day. He hated that this wound had been a source of weakness for him. He would have preferred it killing him rather than being a weakling in the most important battle in history.

The wound mostly hadn't bothered Jason since he returned to his career as Pontifex Maximus. Though, it had never faded and continued to send him constant reminders of dull pain. After his nap today, Jason had woken up with a shooting pain stronger than usual.

"All done." Hazel said "You sure this is okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Jason stood. "We better get to our posts."

Hazel nodded and gave him a kiss on his cheek "You be safe."

She ran back inside the Big House and Jason walked in the opposite direction, where Greeks, Romans, cyclopes, party ponies and many others stood guard at every inch of the border. His body shuddered at the thought of how many of them would die tonight.

"You good?" Leo asked. He had full body armor strapped to his body and was standing near the hull of the Argo II. "I'm gonna need air defense out there."

"I'm on it," Jason looked back at Thalia's tree. This was the best position for monsters to enter camp and proceed to the Big House, after removing the Golden Fleece. The Cabin six report made it clear that this should be camp's most guarded spot.

Leo gave Jason a look "You know I could fly you out to the Hunter's location before all this starts... reunite with your wife and kid."

"No, Piper and Tom will be fine with the Hunters." Jason insisted "Camp needs me."

"Whatever you say, sparky." Leo then turned his head to the ship "Buford, pull me up!"

Leo grabbed onto a rope that immediately pulled him to the deck of the Argo II. Jason took a deep breath and willed the winds to fly him up.

In the west, the sun slowly sank beneath the horizon, dyeing the sky first orange, then red, then dark blue, until all that was left of the sunset was a chalky mauve. Finally, that melted away and stygian darkness took over the sky.

Jason looked down at everyone, readying their weapons and raising their shields. Reyna, Annabeth and Percy were at the front of the lines, anticipating the first attack as darkness took over the entirety of camp.

It was dead quiet for a count of three, then an inhuman cry was heard in the distance and the next thing Jason saw were a hundred Laistrygonian giants charging. They carried shields made from flattened cars, and clubs that were tree trunks with rusty spikes bristling at the end. One of the giants bellowed at the Iris cabin, smashed it sideways with his club, and the entire cabin was thrown aside, a dozen warriors tossed to the wind like rag dolls.

"Fire!" Leo yelled and the main crossbows swung into action. Two explosive balls of pure fire hurtled towards the giants. One deflected off a car shield with hardly a dent, but the other caught a Laistrygonian in the chest, and the giant went down. The archers at the back of the camp lines fired a volley, dozens of arrows sticking in the thick armor of the giants. Several found chinks in armor, and some of the giants vaporized at the touch of celestial bronze.

Just when it looked like the Laistrygonians were about to get overwhelmed, the next wave of attackers surged: three, maybe four hundred dracaenae in full battle armor, wielding spears and nets. They dispersed in all directions. Some were an easy target for archers, other triggered a trip wire, and pots of Greek fire exploded into green flames, engulfing several of the snake women. With the curse of cabin nine, it was hard to make sophisticated traps, so they had to rely on outdated strategies.

Many more kept coming. Tyson's warriors rushed forward to meet them. Jason saw Tyson riding a giant. Somehow he'd managed to climb onto the giant's back and was hitting him on the head with a celestial bronze stick. Nearby, Bobby and Bianca were back to back, battling two dracaenae. Bobby nudged Bianca and together they dodged at the exact moment the two snake women charged, making them bonk their heads.

"I have to help!" Jason told Leo who was tapping away at his control panel. He did a gesture with his hand that meant _Shoo, I don't need you_.

Jason willed the winds and landed at the front lines where more varieties of monsters were attacking. He saw Percy and Reyna causing the most damage, slicing through armor like it was made of paper. Snake women exploded. Hellhounds melted to shadow. Percy slashed and stabbed and whirled, while campers behind him were shooting arrows, disrupting every attempt by the enemy to rally. It was unbelievable that he was causing almost as much damage as a goddess.

Just before Jason decided they were doing just fine, a monster joined the fight. It was like a centaur, with a woman's body from the waist up. But instead of a horse's lower body, it had the body of a dragon. Jason had read about her: Kampê, the jailer of the elder cyclopes.

She shot into the sky, her bat wings fully extended and surveyed the carnage. Her face was filled with evil glee. The mutant animal heads growled at her waist. Snakes hissed and swirled around her legs. She drew her curved swords and screeched. Some of the campers screamed. Others tried to run and got trampled by giants.

"Di immortalis!" Annabeth yelled at Jason's side. The cyclopes were too scared from her and everyone else was either down, or fighting for their lives.

Jason did the only thing he could. He leaped into the monster's path.

Kampê hissed and sliced at him. He dodged, trying to distract her while he thought of a plan. He noticed Annabeth went in for a strike behind Kampe's back. Unfortunately the monster seemed able to fight with both hands independently. She blocked Annabeth's sword, and Annabeth had to jump back to avoid the cloud of poison. Just being near the thing was like standing in an acid fog. Jason's eyes burned. His lungs couldn't get enough air. He knew we couldn't stand his ground for more than a few seconds, if he was lucky.

"Now!" Annabeth said.

Together they charged, dodged the monster's slashes, got inside her guard and almost managed to stab Kampê in the chest, but a huge bear's head lashed out from the monster's waist, and they had to stumbled backwards to avoid getting bitten and getting their lungs damaged.

Then all of a sudden, Jason's eyesight went black. The next thing he knew, Annabeth and him were on the ground. Kampe had her forelegs on their chests, holding them down. Hundreds of snakes slithered right above Jason, hissing like laughter. Kampê raised her green-tinged swords, and he knew Annabeth and him were out of options.

Then, behind him, something howled. A wall of darkness slammed into Kampê, sending the monster sideways. Mrs O'Leary was standing over them, snarling at Kampê.

"Good girl!" said a familiar voice. Jason stood and saw Luke and Tom riding the Hellhound's back. "Sorry I'm late. Mrs. O' Leary needed to rest."

Mrs. O' Leary's strike wasn't good enough to kill Kampe. The monster had already hurled herself back up and was snarling at them.

Tom flew away from Mrs. O'Leary's back and charged a Cynocephali neaby. Luke drew his sword and ushered Mrs. O'Leary to charge Kampe.

With amazing speed, Luke was able to knock one of Kampe's curved swords out of her hand. He was unbelievably good with his sword, delivering attacks before the monster had time to register the previous one. Luke was quickly able to deliver a blow with his celestial bronze sword strong enough to vaporize her.

"They're organized" Jason told Annabeth.

"The giants are better strategists than the Titans." Annabeth explained. How was it that he had two degrees in ancient history and she still had all the answers?

"JASON!" Leo screamed. Jason saw the Argo II getting attacked by a hoard of Stymphalian birds. He quickly flew right into the middle of the main deck, where Leo was blasting them with streams of fire from his palms.

Jason drew his sword and slashed them out of the air. Each bird that touched his imperial gold blade exploded into dust and feathers, but there were still millions of them left. He tried shooting blasts of wind, but that didn't cause too much damage either.

"Hercules used noise!" Jason shouted over the sound of screeching.

"What do you want me to do? Start singing?" He asked sarcastically as he shot another blast of fire.

"No," Jason had idea "Hold down the Argo II"

"Not like I have a choice!" He screamed as Jason flew down to the ground. He did a quick scan of camp's forces, but without his glasses, it wasn't an easy task to find the person he needed.

"Jason," Someone touched his shoulder. Jason turned around and saw Will Solace, bow and arrow in hand.

"Just the person I'm looking for." Jason said, not believing his luck. He grabbed Will and ascended back to the main deck. Will scanned the scene and understood what to do. He immediately let out a piercing taxicab whistle and the demon pigeons went nuts. They started flying in circles, running into each other like they wanted to bash their own brains out. Then they abandoned the track altogether and flew skyward in a huge dark wave.

"Archers!" shouted Leo.

The magical ship went into archer mode. Several mechanical bows and arrows sprang out of the side rails and shot skyward. Most of them could nock five or six arrows at once. Within minutes, the ground was littered with dead bronze-beaked pigeons, and the survivors were a distant trail of smoke on the horizon.

"Nice move." Jason noted.

"No curse could contain this much awesomeness." Leo's maniac smile was still etched on his face. He grabbed his Wii remote controller and ran back to the front, scanning the scene "Oh, Styx! It's Enchiladas."

Down there, Enceladus was at the front lines, leading his army of monsters into attack. Instinctively, Leo flew the Argo II in his direction, firing all the ballistae and catapults simultaneously. A wall of Greek fire roared upward and in a flash most of the Hyperborean Giants and Earthborn closest to Enceladus were incinerated.

Jason willed the clouds to hover closer and the smell the metallic scent of a storm became stronger. He raised his hand and with a deafening blast, a white-hot bolt of lightning arced from the sky, straight through Jason's body as he leaped, wreathed in lightning, at the giant.

Jason fell on Enceladus with such force that the giant crumpled to his knees – blasted with lightning and stabbed in the neck with a golden gladius.

"GAH!" Enceladus grumbled as he tried to rise after Jason's attack "I will kill you!"

"You can try." Jason grinned.

Enceladus eyes drifted from scene to scene and saw the Argo II causing most of the damage to his forces "MONSTERS, DESTROY THAT SHIP"

A flock of gryphons rose to attack. Aboard the deck, Leo dropped his Wii controller and ran to the rails. He blew flames and chargrilled them out of the sky. A few Earthborn launched a volley of rocks, but from the sides of the hull a dozen Archimedes spheres sprayed out, intercepting the boulders and blasting them to dust.

Jason pulled his gladius out of Enceladus' neck and charged at the giant. They were javelin-to-sword. Jason was giving his utmost energy but the giant seemed to be enjoying the fight like it was a calm Sunday afternoon at the beach.

Encaledus pushed Jason, and he scrambled backwards. His breathing got harsher. He looked up and saw the camp's border in the far distance, where The Athena Parthenos stood tall. Jason squinted and at the top of Athena's head, Reyna's golden cloak was rippling in the air. He could have sworn he saw her nod, but with his bad vision, it was impossible to tell. He just hoped she had better vision than him.

Jason took a breath and charged again but at the last second, Jason faked a strike and rolled between the giant's legs. He came up quickly, thrusting with all his might, ready to stab the giant in the small of his back, but changed his tactic quickly before Enceladus anticipated his trick. Instead, he tackled his legs at just the right moment and the giant lost his balance, slamming into the ground. While he tried to rise, Jason put his arms around the giant's neck.

"GRACE!" The giant screamed, but he was quickly cut off by the hit of Reyna's golden sword and the giant quickly disintegrated.

Reyna helped Jason up to his feet "There's more coming."

"I know." Jason nodded at Percy's direction. He was bending water against Periboia, the anti-Aphrodite giantess. "He needs your help."

Reyna gave Jason one last look of courage and ran to the son of Poseidon's aid

He retreated back to the Argo II. Leo was still tapping away at his control panel, drowning the monsters below in flames. On the battleground, monsters were being vaporized everywhere. Two giants were already down, but there were many more to come while Half bloods' bodies littered the grass of Half Blood Hill. Tartarus' army was endless and camp was losing soldiers left and right. At this rate, they wouldn't be able to withstand for long.

"Leo," Jason approached him "How many Greek Fire you got left?"

"Lots," He answered "We restocked last night."

"Good, because I'm gonna need you to advance forward."

"Uhh," Leo looked at him skeptically "Did you hit your head again? We're already overextended."

"You've played Capture the Flag on my side for years." Jason reminded him "What was the secret to my winning streak?"

Leo's eyes gleamed with understanding "Buford, change of plans!" And he went to work. The ballistae and catapults stopped firing and the whole ship flew skyward and forward.

Jason's strategy was fast and easy during Capture the Flag: Get a team of the strongest demigods and send them on a suicide mission to slow down the biggest offense of the opposing team. It left them scrambling to get themselves together, while Jason's team sent their offense squad to the flag. It worked famously, except for the four times Jason got knocked unconscious, the two times Leo almost lost multiple limbs and the one time Nico spent seven weeks in the infirmary. Other than that, it was foolproof.

The scene below changed. Half Blood Hill slowly started flattening out. The hoards of monsters were endless. It was more than Jason had ever seen in his life and at the reserves of the army stood the Giant King himself.

Porphyrion was screaming instructions to his lieutenants when he was quickly shut off by the sight of the Argo II. He looked up and scowled at Jason.

"I know that look, Superman," Leo said "You don't have a god. Don't be stupid."

He hated that Leo could read him so well. Jason was thinking that if he somehow managed to kill Porphyrion now, Tartarus' army would have no leader and camp could have a slim chance of surviving tonight. But, Jason decided to listen. Leo was right. There was no chance he'd be able to kill the giant king without a god. They were here to dump a load of Greek Fire on the army and bolt.

Leo steadied the ship into landing position. The oars had converted into celestial bronze spears and slowly descended into a distance near enough to vaporize any monsters that touched the tips of the spears. Jason stood near the rails, slashing with his gladius at any creature that tried to board the ship.

Before Porphyrion could manage to shout more orders at his army to destroy the Argo II, Leo ascended the ship back up again.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" He shouted as tapped a button on his remote controller.

The ship began to rumble. The bay doors of the stables opened and dropped dozens of crates labelled: _DO NOT OPEN_. They hit the ground and the Greek fire exploded, instantly vaporizing anyone and anything in proximity. Jason's ears rang from the booms and his eyes hurt watching the green fire. He wondered if this is what it felt like to be near a nuclear explosion.

Leo quickly reversed the direction of the ship and started retreating. Jason looked back and saw the Giant King drenched in golden ichor and howling after them. He was wounded, in pain... weak.

The sight of Porphyrion made Jason's gut hurt, as if it was telling Jason what to do. He remembered the words of Euros: _You are a child of lightning. You must be firm and strong._

Jason drew his sword and willed the winds to fly him in the opposite direction of the Argo II. Leo saw him and quickly extended his hand to grip Jason by the ankles before he got away.

"Will you _stop_ being such a hero?" Leo demanded.

"We'll never get a chance like this again." Jason insisted.

"A chance to die? Oh there'll be plenty."

"You know what I mean."

Leo didn't drop his gaze, but neither did Jason. Camp deserved this chance, and if that got Jason killed in the process... well it didn't matter. He's already lived longer than the average demigod, and if dying at the hands of Porphyrion while distracting him from destroying camp was the way Jason would go, then so be it.

Leo took a huge breath. "You're a pain in my butt, Grace. I'm gonna help as much as I can."

"What?"

"I'm not going back without you." Leo said "If you die here, I'm dying with you."

Jason wanted to argue but if he were in Leo's position he would have done the same thing. Jason landed back on the ship as Leo changed his course back to enemy territory. The Greek Fire was still blazing and Porphyrion was the only one unaffected.

"You have aged, Jason Grace." Porphyrian said, wiping a drip of golden ichor from his chin "But your idiocy remains unchanged. You should have fleeted with your life."

"I never run from a fight." Jason announced over the sounds of burning monsters.

Jason jumped out of the ship, advancing forward and projecting his galdius downward, while creating a circular wave of wind that slammed right into the giant's face.

Quickly, Jason moved away from Porphyrion's head before the giant regained his balance. Porphyrion stood up, as if nothing had happened. He dug his hands deep into the ground, lifting a chunk of rock that could be big enough to form a small hill. Porphyrion rotated it around and kicked it at Jason's direction.

Jason barely had enough time to fly away before the rock smashed him into a pile of blood and bones. In mid air, Jason propelled himself at Porphyrion again using a jet of wind underneath his foot. He raised his gladius and thunder boomed in the clouds. A huge bolt of lightning hit Jason's blade, then flew right into Porphyrion's body.

The giant king trampled backward and forward, almost losing his balance from the impact, though his strength has still not faded. Meanwhile, Jason's strength was fleeting fast. He was heaving from all the energy it took for him to summon the lightning and the winds.

Leo must have sensed Jason's distress. From the Argo II, ballistae fired at Porphyrion while he was still dazed. He had dumped all Greek Fire on the monsters, so he had to improvise using makeshift fireballs made from his own hands. The giant king fell backwards, causing a minor earthquake.

"Jason," Leo shouted "Let's get out of here!"

But Jason wasn't done just yet. The blow was enough to knock out the giant king for a few minutes at most. There was still more to do. Jason flipped backwards in mid air and shot a blast of wind at Porphyrion.

The giant king was knocked on his back again. Jason took a breath and called to the skies. He needed more lightning supply to knock the giant out... More lightning than he'd ever summoned.

The scent of the air turned metallic and Jason could feel electricity in the air. He looked up but the night sky was clear. There was no cloud in sight, though there was no doubt in his mind that a thunderstorm was brewing.

"Whoa!" Leo exclaimed and suddenly Jason knew what had happened. From his own palms, electricity was coursing through. Around him was a miniature thundercloud buzzing with energy. It was like Leo's fire and Percy's hurricanes except Jason's palms radiated volts of electricity and around him was a miniature tornado.

Jason landed on top of a rock and redirected lighting from his own palms at Porphyrion. The giant king, clinging to the side of a rock, looked at Jason with fear, as the lightning hit his body. Jason swung his arm around to the side, drawing the wind spirits in the tornado to lift him up in the air again. He fired another lightning bolt at the giant, but Porphyrion managed to dodge his attack.

While roaring in pain and anger, the giant king grasped the first giant rock he got his hand on, but instead of throwing it at Jason, he directed it at the Argo II. Leo didn't have time to dodge a rock the size of a small hill so the Argo II took a giant hit.

"LEO!" Jason screamed but there was no answer. Porphyrion laughed evilly at the sight of the silent floating war ship.

Anger coursed through Jason's body like an electric circuit. He could feel the electric currents flowing in his blood. Porphyrion lifted another rock and threw it at Jason but he simply dodged without even having to lift a finger. It seemed as as if the wind spirits weren't fighting against Jason's control like they usually do. They were literally a part of him, an extension of his body.

Another bolt of lightning hit the giant again. Porphyrion's scaly skin vibrated with static energy. "You think you can beat me, the anti-Zeus, with lightning?"

"It looks like it's working." Jason said confidentially, but the giant replied with a wicked smile.

"Jason" A small muffled voice came from behind them.

Below, by the blazing green fire was a ten foot tall man. He wore black leather breeches and jerkin. His hunting knife hung at his waist and his bow and quiver on his back. His dark hair was undercut, swept into spikes on top. In his eye sockets were bronze mechanical eyes, with lasers flashing red to green but what drew Jason's attention was the woman in his arms.

She was wearing jeans, hiking boots, and a fleece jacket. Her short chocolate brown hair had small strands of braids down the sides and a purple feather sticking out. The giant had his hand on her mouth, like it was the most dangerous part of her.

"Piper... no." He whispered.

Porphyrion laughed "Yes, son of Jupiter. Orion has always been excellent at capturing girls... and stealing a daughter of Aphrodite from the hunters was merely a small challenge for him."

Tiny bolts of lightning sparked in Jason's miniature tornado. If he attacked Porphyrion, Orion would be able to squish Piper like a grape. On the other hand, if Jason attacked Orion, Porphyrion can take the Argo II down with the swing of a tiny hill, killing Leo in the process... if he wasn't already dead.

Jason's vision darkened as he smelled the smoke coming from his stomach. Pain shot up to the top of his head. He wasn't sure if it was caused by the tremendous amount of energy it took to make the thunderstorm or if it due to his indecision at this situation.

 _How do you expect me to make a thoughtful decision if I'm on the verge of passing out?_ Jason mentally asked his gut.

 _You can do this_. His gut answered. Jason was definitely hallucinating now. _You are Rome's high priest._

Jason raised his head, and in the very far distance was a young woman with a shawl over her head and a jar in her arms. He had seen her before, long ago at Camp Half Blood's main hearth, tending the fire.

"Vesta." Jason said in low breath. "But—but I've been the worst Pontifex in history."

 _You don't give yourself enough credit._ She said. _The family of gods are stronger and closer than ever because of you. For the good you have done to my family, I am here to help save yours._

"What am I supposed to choose?" Jason said. "Leo and Piper's lives are at stake. Please help me attack one of the giants."

 _I cannot choose for you_ , Vesta said _And I am not a fighter, but I can give you something_ — _someone you have lost along your way._

Vesta moved her hand to the top of the jar and opened the lid. From inside a fluttering glowing spirit, as small as a butterfly, flying at Jason. It stopped an inch before his chest and looked up at him. It was a humanoid figure, almost like a woman if you squint hard enough, but the white glow made it hard to see.

No one seemed to see her. In fact, time appeared to have slowed down as the glowing fairy woman touched him and exploded in a stream of white glitter.

The view dissolved into a white view. Jason had the inkling to look up and what he saw almost made him cry.

"That's why we don't eat staplers, dummy." Thalia, not more than eight or nine years old, rubbed the back of his head.

Thalia dissolved again into whiteness. Jason had these sorts of dreams before, where memories flooded him but usually dreams weren't that clear. It seemed as if he was living that moment rather than remembering it.

"Okay." Frank's voice was heard first from the white background. Jason found himself standing with his friends aboard the Argo II. They were so much younger, so much more hopeful.

Frank frowned at his fingers, which were in a Chinese trap. "Uh, how do you—?"

Leo chuckled. "Man, you've never seen those before? There's a simple trick to getting out."

Frank tugged at his fingers with no luck. Hazel was trying not to laugh.

Frank grimaced with concentration. Suddenly, he disappeared. On the deck where he'd been standing, a green iguana crouched next to an empty set of Chinese handcuffs.

"Well done, Frank Zhang," Leo said dryly, doing his impression of Chiron. Jason had forgotten this moment. It was as if he were living it for the first time "That is exactly how people beat Chinese handcuffs. They turn into iguanas."

Everybody busted out laughing, even Jason. He had longed for these days for so long, the days when things were better. The world is so messed up now that he longed for the days Gaea wanted to take wake and destroy Olympus. That was a little sad.

The scene disappeared again and Jason saw himself with Piper on a blanket. Food of all sorts was on the floor, along with a birthday cake with purple icing and candles already lit.

"You're not allowed to say that."

"What?" Jason was surprised that he was able to talk. In his dreams he was never allowed to change the memory, but this was different. He was _living_ in that memory

"It's a breakup line. Unless you're breaking up with me—"

"Piper," He interrupted "If I hurt you in any way..."

She frowned "Are you okay?"

"A lot of stuff is going to happen in the future, and I'll do some terrible stuff but I—I..."

"I know you wouldn't hurt me," She answered with a warm smile.

"You do?"

"I don't know what you know about the future." She admitted "But I know that you won't change. You're loyal and honorable. Whatever happens, I know you'll be doing the right thing."

"You don't understand. I'll hurt you. I'll put you in so much danger, and the fight out there, in the real world— Piper, it's bad. You could die. We could lose camp, the world could end."

"Wow, maybe I'm wrong..." Her voice trailed off. "Maybe I _don't_ know you."

"What?"

"The Jason I know," She said "The one I'm having this picnic with, he's never lost sight of something very important."

Jason studied her, not knowing what she meant.

"Hope." She said "We're fighting Gaea, the oldest primordial goddess, and you're convinced we'll win. You're convinced we'll beat the twin giants and save Nico. You're the one that kept everyone hopeful. What happened to your hope, Jason?"

He didn't know the answer to that question. Jason had lost a lot of things and hope was one of them. To him, hope seemed pretty useless right about now. So many people were dead, his friends' lives are on the line, his only son barely tolerates him and camp is barely holding its ground. What was the point of hope?

 _You will suffer, Jason_ , He remembered the words of Apate. _More than your heart can endure._

 _You have to make the right choice yourself_ , Jupiter had said. _Just like Aeneas did._

Then Jason looked at Piper. Her smile glowed warmly. He remembered the images he'd just seen of friends and family, of everyone he cared about. He had to believe that he'll make it out of this alive, that he will make the right decision to save his friends and family, that Piper, Tom and him will reunite.

He had to have hope.

"So what will it be, Jason Grace?" Porphyrion's voice pierced through the vision and Piper's young face dissolved.


	53. An Oracle is Lost

**[A/N: Calypso learned to become just as much of a sarcastic little shit as Leo. No one can convince me otherwise.]**

"You'd think the book that contains all prophecies of time would include the prophecy about the end of the world." Rachel complained as she continued to leaf through a copy of the Sibylline.

Hazel was still muttering hymns to Hecate as she and Calypso tried to keep Thalassa from breaking out of her little prison. The two of them had been doing this for hours and there were no improvements. In fact, Hazel thought that glass looked even more shattered than before and Hazel doubted that she or Calypso were in any shape to keep going for longer.

"Sibylline." Ella muttered "Originally written by The Oracle of Cumae. Rewritten by Rachel Elizabeth Dare and Ella the Harpy."

"Ugh," groaned Cassie. She was the augur of New Rome, about fifteen years old and a descendant of Apollo, much like every augur before her. She had caramel colored skin and brown hair, and always held a knife and an assortment of teddy bears across her waist. "Apollo is giving me nothing. It's like he's not even listening."

"With the gods fighting," Frank declared. He sat in a chair at the side wall of the basement, with his arms crossed "I doubt any of them are."

"Wait!" Rachel exclaimed "What is this?" She held the red leather bound book and started reciting:

" _You two shall be captured together,  
By the goddess of cold weather,  
And nothing will help your odds  
_ _Of saving the world from the old gods_ "

"That's pleasant" Calypso said "But it sort of sounds to me like a minor prophecy. Look for something a little more... grand."

"Guys," Hazel announced "You _wrote_ that thing. I doubt that you'll find anything new in there."

"What are you saying, Hazel?" Rachel asked.

Hazel didn't know. Somehow it all seemed clear to her: The Olympian gods fighting, the minor gods either getting in the Olympians' cross fire, joining Tartarus' forces or being defeated by the dark gods. As much as she wanted to find a magical solution to the war, she doubted it was possible at this point.

"Have you tried using your Delphic powers?" She changed the subject.

"Nothing's come to me." Rachel pouted.

"Wait," Cassie exclaimed. She held the carcass of a pink teddy bear in her hand "I see something."

"What?" Everyone asked at once.

"Trouble." She said in a grave tone " _Big_ trouble."

"This prophecy thing doesn't get anymore specific, does it?" Calypso complained.

"Oh gods!" Frank stood up so fast, it gave Hazel a headrush "Oh gods, oh gods!"

"Well," Calypso fake smiled "This sounds even better."

"What's wrong, Frank?" Hazel asked.

"The Final prophecy," His voice was on the verge of freaking out " _Big_ trouble." Everyone stared at him blankly. " _The abyss marches to the demigods' home_. Tartarus is coming here tonight."

"We kind of already knew that." Calypso pointed out. She was right. After all, this was the fight against Tartarus' army.

"No!" He started wringing his hands in desperation "I mean _he's_ coming _here_. As in, he's _marching_ to camp."

No one spoke. Hazel hesitated. She was sure her heartbeat was being heard all over the room. Her hands shook, making it hard to keep concentrating on the magic she was projecting.

"Rachel," Frank broke the silence "Please tell me I'm wrong."

"I-I don't know." Rachel looked uneasy.

"Oh gods," Cassie slammed the walls of the basement in frustration.

"The abyss marches to the demigods' home" Ella muttered "Ella must go. N-no, no, no. Tyson and Ella and Sully must go."

Rachel tried to calm Ella down while the rest of the room adjusted to that new piece of information.

"We have to warn them." Frank approached Hazel and Calypso. "They have no idea what's coming."

"Wait," Calypso said "If what you said is true, then Tartarus' physical body will march on land and attack camp. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the only way to defeat a primordial is by separating them from their home turf?"

Hazel and Frank exchanged looks. Technically, Calypso was right. Leo had managed to defeat Gaea by lifting her off her source of power, but this only made Hazel feel more unsure. Why would Tartarus, the most diabolical of all the gods that ever existed, take such a risk when he has armies of monsters at his disposal?

"We still have to get word to the Athena command center." Hazel said. "Even if what you're saying is true, we still have no idea how to defeat him."

Frank nodded in agreement "The prophecy of Seven told us that Gaea would fall by storm or fire. I don't know if fire would have the same effect on Tartarus, since you know, his skin is _made_ of fire."

Calypso inhaled deeply and went back to concentrating on her magic while Frank started to prepare for an Iris message.

Hazel returned to muttering a hymn for Hecate. She wondered how her daughters were doing out there. She thought about what would happen to them once Tartarus comes marching here. No one would stand a chance, and even if, by some miracle, camp managed to defeat him, she doubted many of the people she cares for, friends or family, would make it.

This made Hazel wish she had never been under the influence of Pasiphae the day Pontus woke. Everything happening today boiled down to the moment Hazel had helped those sorceresses. She never admitted this to anyone, but despite Nico and Frank insisting that Pasiphae charmspoke her, Hazel still couldn't help but feel guilty. The truth was, she didn't even feel charmspeak in Pasiphae's words. Hazel would have done anything to have her family.

But now, Hazel was being punished for that choice, because not only will she watch her daughters die before her, but Frank and everyone else she loves will go down as well.

While Hazel was deep in thoughts of regret, she heard Rachel inhale sharply and fall to her knees. Frank instinctively tried to reach for her and help her up but when she closed her eyes and opened them again, they were green. He backed away as green mist started swirling around Rachel. She opened her mouth and spoke in the voice of the Oracle of Delphi.

" _The Fates weave their last thread of destiny  
Of a demigod army led by Emily.  
Thalassa's bonds weakened  
Demigods are defeated,  
Thus ends the Olympians' legacy_"

And with the last word, the green color in Rachel's flickered like thunder and faded away. Rachel collapsed, like she always does after a prophecy, and Frank and Cassie helped rest her head against the wall.

"Oh gods," Calypso resisted the urge to break down. Ella fluttered her wings nervously. Cassie rested her head against the wall, while Frank and Hazel exchanged uneasy looks about what they had just heard, especially the part of the prophecy singling out Emily.

"Have you ever heard a prophecy in that form before?" Cassie asked.

"It's a limerick" Calypso explained "Only the deadliest prophecies are in the form of a limerick."

Rachel groaned, and held her hand against her forehead. The oracle taking over her body must give her killer headaches.

"Did I just..." She didn't finish her thought. Her eyes widened and her hands were clearly shaking as she muttered the words "The Oracle, it's gone."

"What do you mean?" Calypso furrowed her brows.

"It left my body." Rachel stood up "I don't feel it in there anymore."

"Is that even possible?" Hazel asked.

"Oh gods" Calypso gasped "I remember. This happened to Kronos' oracle, during the first Titan war."

"What does it mean?" Hazel asked, though she had a feeling she already knew the answer

"It's done its purpose." Calypso declared. "It said every prophecy this world will see.


	54. A Long Fall

"LUKE WATCH OUT!" Bobby screamed. He was next to Bianca whose hands were elbow deep into the ground as if it were a pile of play-doh. Her eyes were closed in concentration and from both of her arms, a crack formed. A deep, narrow fissure opened in a long zigzag across the middle of the clearing.

The earth rocked under Mrs. O'Leary and expanded faster than Luke could react. In seconds, a chasm in the middle of Half Blood Hill was swallowing monsters. Unfortunately, Luke and Mrs. O'Leary barely had enough time to leap away from their collapsing piece of ground.

Her force wasn't strong enough to deliver them to the edge, so instead they landed on a tiny ledge about twenty feet down from ground level.

"Luke!" His mom screamed, her grey eyes intense with fear.

"I'm fine!" He shouted. Beside him, Mrs. O'Leary was getting comfortable on her half of their ledge "We both are."

"Thank Athena" She muttered "Don't move. I'll get help."

"Not like I can go anywhere." He saw his mom disappear. Luke turned to Mrs. O'Leary and rubbed her face "I don't suppose you can shadow travel?" She looked away and pinned her ears back "I didn't think so."

Luke sheathed his sword and studied his surroundings. The ledge seemed steady enough to hold an enormous Hellhound and a demigod, but he didn't know for how long. The walls were too steep to climb and unfortunately he can't control wind spirits to fly out of here. Luke looked down. He couldn't see the bottom but Bianca's chasm had created a quick way to dispose of monsters, somewhere very deep in the ground.

"Jackson, you okay?" Sam Valdez resonated from above.

"Fine." Luke answered.

"Hold on," He said "I'll get Mrs. O' Leary out first."

He closed his eyes in concentration. A small breeze made Mrs. O' Leary's fur ruffle. She then started levitating slowly until she was level with Sam, twenty feet in the air. She leaped forward and was back on the ground, no longer confined in their little space next to Luke.

"Your turn, Jackson." Sam raised his hands and Luke felt a gust of wind surround him. His body became ten times lighter, as if he were a helium balloon. He felt his feet lift off the ground.

Just before he reached the edge of the chasm, a wolf leaped at Sam and broke his magic. Sam's hold of the winds immediately deteriorated and Luke's stomach dropped.

He was free falling deeper into the darkness. Luke had to think quickly. He unsheathed his sword and swung it at the walls. The blade gripped tightly in a fissure within the rocks.

"Okay, okay" He told himself and tried to steady his handhold on the hilt of his sword but just as he readjusted his weight the crevice grew. "Crap." He muttered and looked up. The edge of the chasm was at least seventy feet above. His mom and Sam's faces were back, barely visible in the dark night

"Jackson!" He shouted "Do you have a good grip?"

"For now." Luke said "I'm not going to hold out for long."

"I can't bring you up from this far down." He admitted.

"Great." Luke groaned. His fingers were already feeling like molten lead and his arm muscles were shaking. He was never good at rock climbing and he hated himself for not taking those practices more seriously. He wondered how long the drop would be and where it would lead... if he survived it.

"Luke!" Another voice screamed. Luke looked up and saw Tom's silhouette. He spoke to Sam, but Luke was too far to hear what he said. When Tom looked down again, he did the craziest thing anyone had ever done.

He jumped.

Tom threw himself downward, with his arms tucked and plummeted headfirst. In a heartbeat he surpassed Luke but he quickly managed to float midair before he was too far down.

"Are you crazy?!" Luke scolded. Tom had barely learned how to fly a few hours ago. He shouldn't even be flying without supervision, let alone plummeting into a deep chasm that led to gods know where.

"A little." Tom admitted while trying to balance himself. He got closer to Luke and gripped him by his wrist. "Let go of the sword."

Luke looked at Tom, his face was deadly serious. Luke made a silent prayer to every single wind god ever and let go of his grip, but as soon as he did so, Tom lost his balance and they started free falling again.

Luke's stomach contracted in tension. Wind whistled in his ears. "TOM!"

"Something is wrong" He shouted while flailing his free arm around "I can't control the wind here."

Luke cursed. He looked up and heard his mom and Sam screaming for help. He was falling into darkness, spiraling down and down, away from the noise of the battle, away from everyone and everything.

The air quickly grew hotter and damper, as if they were plummeting into the throat of a massive dragon. Luke tried to think of a plan, but unfortunately, he wasn't Bobby. There was nothing to do.

Tom's hands began to slip away from Luke's as the darkness got deeper. Luke extended his other arm and gripped Tom tighter. He wanted to tell him to strengthen his grip, but there was no way Tom would hear him over the whistling winds in their ears.

Luke thought about this being his last moments. What had he done to be proud of? He'd never managed to walk in his parents' footsteps. He never became the leader everyone expected him to be. He'd never been on a quest. He never even managed to find a way to cure for Thalia... and now he was taking down a praetor down with him. His life had been a serious of moments of standing in the backgrounds, training for a death he couldn't prevent.

The darkness slowly began to turn into red tinge. The whistling in Luke's ears turned into more of a roar. The air became intolerably hot, permeated with a smell of acid.

The chasm they'd been falling through opened into a vast cavern. Maybe half a mile below them, Luke could see the bottom. For a moment he was too stunned to think properly. Red clouds hung in the air like vaporized blood. The landscape was rocky black plains. To Luke's left, the ground dropped away in a series of cliffs, like colossal steps leading deeper into the abyss.

The stench of sulfur made it hard to concentrate, but he focused on the ground directly below them. "FLY!"

He didn't know if he could hear him or if Tom's powers would even work here, but Tom understood. He raised his arms and closed his eyes. Luke became lighter as Tom summoned the wind to cushion their fall just before they hit the rocky ground and bashed their skulls.

"Ow." Luke muttered as he pulled out a shard of glass sticking out from his elbow. He looked at the ground underneath him and saw that the whole floor was made of broken glass.

"Are we in...?" Tom asked, but he didn't finish his thought. Luke stood up next to him and both gazed across the rocky plains. Above, Luke saw no sign of Bianca's chasm. In fact, he couldn't even see the cavern roof, just blood-colored clouds floating in the hazy grey air.

"Yes," Luke answered, almost not believing it himself "We're in enemy territory–Tartarus itself."

Tom placed his arms behind his head in exasperation. Luke noticed that the back of his hands were already blistering because of the acidic air.

"We need to move." Luke said as he offered to held Tom up.

"Where?" Tom asked "Jackson, we have no food, no water, no supplies. You even lost your sword. This is _Tartarus_... we're already dead."

"Maybe," Luke admitted "But that doesn't mean we can't do something to help from down there."

"What do you mean?" Tom furrowed his brows.

"Well," Luke said as he helped Tom up. "Maybe we can find this guy's weakness down here and help slow down the battle."

"He's a _primordial_ god." Tom looked at him like he was crazy "He doesn't _have_ weaknesses."

"Man," Luke started moving "How did you become praetor with an attitude like that?"

"Jackson," He followed him "This isn't like the time we single-highhandedly beat Camp Jupiter in the war games."

"True." Luke kept walking, trying to hide his own fear "But, my mom and dad made it out of here. So did Nico."

"Because they got help from Bob, the Titan." Tom pointed out. Man, that guy was a downer. "And might I add that they are the greatest heroes known in Greek History."

Luke started ignoring him. He started hearing multiple roars echoing across the plains. Tom instinctively drew his sword. Luke was without a sword, but if there was anything he knew is to never to leave home without at least two weapons handy.

He drew his favorite weapon, his mom's bronze dagger. He remembered the day he'd gotten it like it was yesterday. _This is my favorite weapon,_ she had said. _My brother had given it to me when I was your age._

 _Is he with dad?_ Luke had asked.

His mom gave him a warm smile. _No, but his name was also Luke. He was the bravest hero I've ever known, and one day, you'll be as brave as he was because you're carrying his dagger._

So much for that... Luke gets to die painfully and not-so-heroically in Tartarus, hooray! He wished he was Luke Castellan right about now, the one hero no one ever seems to forget about at Camp Half Blood. Partly because of the statue of him in Main Square at New Athens, but mostly because of how he managed to save the world by one simple act. Luke had always wished it were that easy.

"Well, well, well," A voice said from behind. Tom and Luke turned around together and saw a girl in white silk dress. She was the brightest thing in the red atmosphere of Tartarus and was unnaturally pale, with skin the color of snow. Her hair was black and shiny despite the humid and acidic atmosphere. She focused on Tom with her coffee brown eyes and gave him a sideways smile. "If it isn't the son of Piper McLean, my mortal enemy." She laughed evilly " _And_ the Jackson boy. The master will be pleased. Very pleased."


	55. A Long Awaited Kiss

**[A/N: Heads up for a heavy feminist chapter. Don't like it? Don't read it. Simple as that. Tbh Artemis has always been one of my favorite goddesses and she needs more appreciation. Literally a feminist icon. On another note, have yall heard about the spoiler for The Burning Maze? I'm literally shaking!]**

"So what will it be Jason Grace?" Porphyrion stood smiling over Jason.

The Argo II's bronze hull was the only source of light in the dark sky. Green fire still blazed around the plains of the destroyed reserves of Tartarus' army. The only monsters who had remained were Porphyrion, the giant king, and Orion, the hunter.

Both giants were waiting on Jason to decide between saving Leo or Piper from their impending deaths, but Jason already knew what to do.

Orion's assortment of weapons were glowing in the dim lights. The giant was also carrying a water bottle. Did giants drink? But the water gave Jason an idea. He just hoped he would be able to throw from this far away with perfect dug a gold drachma out of his pocket and threw it at the hunter. The coin landed a few inches near his foot, right where Jason needed it to be.

"A golden coin?" The giant stepped forward "This is your last resort? You couldn't even throw it at me."

He'd never done so before, but Jason said his prayer in silence as he focused on the tiny ray of rainbow reflecting off of Orion's dagger. _O goddess, accept my offering_.

"You may call yourself a hunter, Orion" Jason stalled "But ARTEMIS at THE HUNTER'S BASE will always be the best huntress of all time."

The light shimmered and in the rainbow mist, was an Iris-message vision of Lady Artemis. The glow of the Iris Message almost caught Orion's attention, but Piper looked like she understood his plan, so she squirmed harder in his arms.

"Jason Grace," Porphyrion sneered "Choose a friend to save or we'll kill them both and then we'll bash your skill into theirs"

"Never!" Jason said "I destroyed your entire army, and we're standing here in the ruins of your reserves. The way I see it, you're already dead."

"We're two powerful giants," Porphyrion bellowed "You're only one hero"

"And an Olympian" Artemis appeared out of nowhere besides Jason. She nodded at him while she nocked an arrow on her silver colored bow "Shall we, brother?"

Together, they charged. Jason quickly projected more lightning bolts at Porphryion, while Artemis fired multiple arrows, hitting Orion's arms with surgical precision until he couldn't hold Piper anymore.

While Porphyrion was down, Jason quickly sheathed his gladius and scooped Piper away from the hunter. He hugged her tight, and she positioned herself so she was hugging him too. They were nose to nose.

Her breath smelled like cinnamon. She said, "This feels a little like déjà vu."

Jason smiled. She wasn't angry at him. It felt exactly as if nothing changed at all. "Have we met before? I feel like I have some sort of amnesia."

She bared her teeth in a more than perfect smile. Her hair rippled in the wind and her eyes glittered. Gods of Olympus she was beautiful. At that moment, Jason was sure Bacchus had blessed her because Piper McLean gets finer and finer with age, just like wine.

They landed atop the deck of the Argo II. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She answered "Go. I'll take care of Leo."

Jason drew his gladius and jumped over the rails of the war ship. He towered over Orion and Artemis. The goddess was a blur of silver. She had two hunting knives, each as long as her arm, and was slashing wildly at Orion, dodging and leaping with unbelievable grace. She changed forms faster than Frank Zhang could ever manage, from a gazelle to a puma to a bear. Orion also had his hunting knives drawn and despite his size, he moved as fast as Artemis, dodging and attacking.

"You were never a match for me" Artemis announced as both of them stopped to catch their breaths.

"On the contrary," Orion said "I was always stronger than you. After all, you are nothing more than a woman."

Artemis growled and charged at him again, but Orion anticipated her moved and blocked the attack.

Orion laughed "You haven't changed a bit, Artemis. Remember the old days? When we I was a part of your hunt, when we were actually friends... maybe even more."

"What are you babbling about?" Artemis mumbled, but it had sounded like she knew what he had meant.

"We both know that if it wasn't for you brother's scorpion–"

"It was your mother's." Artemis gritted her teeth in anger.

"–You would no longer be a maiden." Orion announced.

Artemis attacked in such speed that Jason's mind barely had time to process. She jabbed her knife at his shoulder, which started dripping golden ichor.

"You never admitted it," Orion continued to get under her skin, as if the injury didn't even bother him "But you had loved me, goddess. Your brother saw your maidenhood about to slip away, so he eliminated the threat."

"Gaea brought forth that scorpion because you had been driven mad, Orion. You killed many innocent souls. You deserved death. You deserved Tartarus."

"Tartarus taught me that being in your hunt was the biggest mistake I have ever made." He growled "I loathe the moments I associated myself with such a weak _female_ deity. It is the law of nature that women are held under the dominance of men."

Jason could feel Artemis' anger even from a few feet away. Orion was a smooth talker. He made sure that every word he fired at his prey was carefully calculated.

The goddess charged again with her knives but Orion sneered in anticipation for her attack. As she attacked, he swung his leg, tripping her over. Artemis fell on her back while one of her knives skidded away.

Orion got on his knees, and gripped Artemis throat with one hand and placed the other on her leg "You have called yourself the goddess of nature for millennia, but how can you not experience the basic concept of nature?"

Jason knew where this was going. His blood boiled as he watched the scene unfold of the sexist giant that wanted to degrade one the most powerful goddesses ever. Jason hoped he still had enough charge in him to will lightning to form from the sky without passing out.

He closed his eyes in concentration, but the skies and clouds refused to obey. He was too weak. His only hope was that Orion wasn't as good a sword fighter as he is with his hunting knives.

Luckily, he didn't have to find out.

Artemis brought her other hunting knife and jabbed it in the giant's gut. Orion howled in pain. She then grabbed him by the head and bashed his skull right into the ground, creating a sinkhole about three feet deep.

"Men like you cannot be anything more than rapists, batterers, plunderers and killers. Men like you have claimed the earth, claimed nature and ruined it. You are the reason the great god Pan is dead. You are the reason Gaea, one of the most gentle spirits, had turned angry and vile. Do not attempt to teach me anything about nature, because men like you are the reason nature is seizing to exist." Orion attempted to speak but Artemis stepped on his neck "You cannot feel good about yourself unless you force women to live in fear and weakness. I chose to be a virgin goddess to prove to those women that they can be powerful if they desire to be, that women can be as powerful as men if not more." The goddess raised her face to look at Jason, who was still floating in the air. "Brother?"

Orion laughed "You can't even kill me without the help of a man."

Artemis shook her head "I hope this time Tartarus teaches you to be kind."

Jason joined the goddess and together, Jason and Artemis drove their blades into the hunter. He vaporized on the spot, nothing remaining of his evil existence but ashes.

"Lady Artemis–"

"I don't need your sympathy." She interrupted. It bothered Jason that she had called him boy, even though he looked like her father "We have another giant to kill."

"I'm not sympathizing." Jason admitted "I wanted to say that you were right about Orion. Men like him shouldn't exist in this world."

"Unfortunately brother," the goddess said "We do not live in a perfect world." Porphyrion roared in the distance "And if we do not act fast, we won't have time to fix this not-so-perfect world."

They both climbed out of the hole where Artemis had slammed Orion only to see that Porphyrion was attempting to throw another rock at the Argo II. Seriously, does he not have any other tricks? Leo was nowhere in sight at the control panel so that meant he was still unconscious.

"Guard the ship." Artemis produced a javelin. "The Argo II is vital to this war. It cannot be damaged."

Artemis ran toward the giant king and Jason did as he was told, quickly ascending to the ship's control room. There were so many buttons, switches and levers, there was no way Jason could figure out how to set this thing on autopilot. He could get up on the helm and manually fly the ship back to camp, but that would take too long.

"Piper" He called across the main deck "Is Leo up?"

She entered the control room with a grim face "He'll be down for a while. He might have a concussion, and he got a nasty bruise on his stomach."

Jason cursed "Do you know how to steer this thing?"

Piper took a look at the set of keys and buttons. "Step back." She ordered as she touched the walls and closed her eyes "Argo II, fly us back to Camp Half Blood."

She spoke with so much confidence. Her voice was so firm and commanding that Jason felt compelled to start flying to Camp Half Blood immediately. The only thing that stopped him was the whole ship rocking, changing course and advancing at top speed.

Jason's eyes widened "Did you just control the Argo II with your voice?"

"I didn't spend _all_ my time making movies." Piper smirked.

Both of them exited the control room. The Argo II was soaring across the sky towards Half Blood Hill. Jason glanced downwards and saw Artemis engaged in battle with the giant that was four times her size and amazingly, she was making him weaker.

"He's one hit away from vaporizing." Jason said, as he unsheathed his sword, prepared to finally end Porphyrion and send him all the way to Tartarus, hopefully for the last time.

"I got it." Piper interrupted as she produced a dagger from the folds of her ski jacket. It was Imperial gold with a brown leather hilt. Piper held it from its blade and with one swift move, she threw it with such force that it landed right in the giant king's forehead between his eyes. Porphyrion must have been at least half a mile away, but Piper still amazing to make that throw.

The giant king bellowed in anger as golden ichor flowed down his face. Artemis saw the dagger and immediately delivered the final hit with her javelin in the giant's heart. Porphyrion didn't have time to roar in pain this time, because his entire body had completely turned to ash.

 _I will rally my hunters and meet you in battle._ Artemis spoke in Jason's mind then there was a silvery flash of light in the distance.

"How'd you learn to throw like that?" Jason turned to Piper, truly amazed by that shot.

Piper's multicolored eyes glittered "I'm a dangerous girl."

"That, I believe." Jason smiled, but his smile quickly faded. How could he begin to apologize for what he did to her? For forcing her a child all on her own, for hurting her. "Piper, I–"

"No, Jason." She stopped him "You don't have to go and start apologizing for the past couple of years. I already forgave you."

Jason shook his head "You can't just–"

Piper quickly shut him up with a kiss. He could feel the heat from her body, so familiar he could drown in it. Her cinnamon scent wafted through his brain, as intoxicating as ever. He felt himself succumbing to the smell, remembering every time he'd ever kissed Piper McLean, every moment he was with her, every moment his life had a purpose.

She pulled away "We said we'd start over as much as we need to," She took a few steps backwards extended her hand "I'm Piper McLean, nice to meet you."

Jason couldn't help but grin. He shook her hand "You always kiss strangers?"

"Gods of Olympus I love you." Piper laughed as she embraced him and kissed him again.

"ALRIGHT!" Leo's voice echoed from the P.A. system over the sound of the intro of Careless Whipser by George Michael. Jason and Piper stopped kissing and looked up to see Leo at the helm "GIVE IT UP FOR MY BEST FRIENDS GETTING BACK TOGETHER." A fake applause like the ones from old sitcoms played. "What are you doing, Grace? Kiss her again. I need to get the perfect shot."

Both of them laughed as they watched Buford holding a camera at their direction. They both knew there wasn't a point in arguing with Leo and his wonder table. Jason met Piper's gaze and kissed her one more time, trying to ignore Leo's light system, sound effects and his instructions on how to kiss better. He just enjoyed the moment for as long as it would last.


	56. A Third Horse in The Race?

**[A/N: I made this story accessible to fans both on Wattpad and Fanfiction net, whichever platform you prefer to read on since I understand that some of you have preferences. The story is still under the same name on both websites.]**

Being turned into a huge Popsicle was not on Tom's bucket list.

Tom inhaled the humid Tartarus air as the snow goddess unfroze him and Luke from their icy bonds. His skin shivered for a second but then it quickly started blistering from the contact with the acidic air.

"Oh you look nothing like her," Khione place her icy hands on Tom's chin. "You're like a replica of that handsome Jason Grace. You'd make such a fine ice sculpture." Tom swatted her hand away "Yet, you are as fierce as your idiotic mother."

"My mom defeated you twice." Tom spoke.

"Ah, but you see," She said, her voice as cold as her fingers "Piper McLean cheated. Without that stupid mechanical dragon, she would've never saved her friends. She was the weakest of the seven... and the most useless. By the looks of it, you inherited that from her too, Praetor."

Tom balled his fists. It was one thing to insult him and call him useless. He did feel that way most of the time. But calling his mom weak? His mother was the strongest woman he'd ever known. She's always been his hero. He remembers picnic day when that centaur tried to attack them and she was able to defend him all alone, or when a cyclops almost tore down their entire mansion but she used only her words to send it on its way. Those are just a few instances of her bravery and courage as she managed to raise him all alone.

Piper McLean was nothing but weak.

"Where are we?" Luke demanded. "Why did you bring us here?"

Tom hadn't noticed it before, but he found himself on the edge of a peninsula that jutted out over a pitch-black void. The void seemed to be pulling at him, leaching the breath from his lungs and the oxygen from his blood.

"This is the edge of the earliest darkness" Khione said "And below lies the realm of Chaos. Here, you are closer to nothingness than any mortal has ever been... Of course, until a few years ago when the Jacksons stepped on that very same edge."

"My parents were _here_?" Luke asked in disbelief.

"They were the first mortals to gaze upon Chaos." Khione said "And that didn't sit well."

Luke and Tom exchanged looks of confusion. "What do you mean?" Luke asked.

Khione sighed "I'm not here to give you two a history lesson. I need my freedom from this place and _you_ are the ticket out."

Tom didn't understand, but instinctively he drew his sword. Luke followed his example and drew his dagger.

"Blades against snow?" Khione raised an eyebrow, but Tom didn't care. He slashed his sword at her and the wound immediately started to drip golden ichor. It was suicidal to fight a goddess. She could literally turn him into ice again, but he was dead in Tartarus anyways. At least he can go down as "that praetor who idiotically challenged an immortal powerful snow goddess"

Khione hissed in anger and started summoning ice daggers to throw at them. Tom managed to deflect her hits with his sword. Every time she used her powers, a cold blast of wind blew over him, making his blistery skin shiver. If it wasn't for the Tartarus air, Tom was sure he would have gotten hypothermia by now.

Tom and Luke continued to duck and dodge her icy blades while he thought of a plan to defeat Khione. He hated snow. He'd only seen it once in Chicago on his quest... and well, Chicago wasn't exactly his favorite experience.

That's when Tom's metaphorical light bulb turned on. It was a long shot, but that seemed to be the theme of Tom's life lately. He signaled to Luke, hoping he'd understand.

The day he arrived at Aeolia rang in his head like it was yesterday. He remembered seeing those paper airplanes speeding around the lobby, the television equipment floating randomly through the air and the lord of the wind's changing expression as he realized who Tom's father was.

 _It's his fault I was almost demoted._ Aeolus boomed. _Zeus almost took away Olympian Weather on the OW! Channel._

 _But I-I never knew him._ Tom had begged. _Please. I just need transportation back to Camp Jupiter._

 _Someone must pay for what he did to me... and you are, after all, his son_. Aeolus declared as he ordered a wind spirit to blast him out. If Tom didn't have control over wind, he would have died from the impact.

Tom shook that memory from his head. He hated that he still remembered that so vividly. But that wasn't the piece of information he needed from that day. He faintly remembered the words of Nellie, Aeolus' assistant.

The goddess continued with her attacks, though her feet's position hadn't changed: still on the very edge of Chaos. Tom tightened his grip on his sword as he advanced forward, closer to her force field of winter storm.

His lungs started to rattle and it felt like he was breathing saw dust. He could feel himself start to freeze but he managed to summon all his remaining strength as he swung the sword at Khione's ankles.

She toppled over, slamming shoulder first into the ground. "You will taste my wrath!" She hissed as she started to get back up, but was quickly stopped by the blade of Luke's dagger on her throat.

He raised his hand and hoped the wind will do his bidding down here. From all around him, a strong current of wind blew against the goddess.

"NO!" She screamed as her body dragged and quickly disappeared over the edge. Her nails dug into the solid rock as the rest of her body dangled freely above nothingness. "I WILL KILL YOU PRAETOR!"

Tom towered over her and focused on his next words, putting as much magic in them as he can "You can very much do that... if you let go of that ledge."

"You think you can charmspeak a goddess?" Khione laughed "Even McLean couldn't do it."

Tom smiled "Well, you see, I'm not just a McLean... I'm a Grace too."

He raised his hand, summoning one last blast of wind. "Wait!" Khione pleaded. Tom paused "Before you send me down there, you need to know something."

Luke exchanged a look with Tom telling him to listen to what she has to say.

"Tartarus," the goddess continued "You have no idea what he has planned. You have no chance against him."

"We'd like to have a little more faith than that." Luke admitted.

"You idiots!" She scolded "He's planning to end the race of the gods, and he _can_ actually do that."

"He would need to attack the gods' source of power in Athens." Tom remembered.

"Why do you think he wants Thalassa so badly?" Khione said "He plans on drowning the entire continent of Europe, with every trace of its Roman and Greek influence."

Tom could hear his own heartbeat just thinking about that. He felt the blood rush through his veins, which he wasn't sure if it was a sign of fear or anxiety. "If he's ending the gods, why are you serving him?"

"I'm not serving Tartarus." She said breathlessly.

"Then who?" Luke inched forward, dagger in hand. "Who's your master?"

Khione paused, hesitating. She looked at her hand one last time and let go. Tom and Luke both advanced but as they gazed down, they saw no trace of Khione, only the void of endless darkness.

"There's no way she's on the Olympians' side." Tom speculated "They banished her here."

"And if Tartarus isn't her master," Luke concluded "Then who's the third horse in this race?"

"And why do they want us?" Tom wondered.


	57. A Storm Giant

**[A/N: Percy chapter, cause who else missed him? Short chapter cause why not.]**

"What is _that_?" Percy asked, as he stared up at the swirl of violent storm clouds that passed near Camp's borders. Beneath them a humanoid figure, about sixty feet taller than your average giant. Percy couldn't see its body but he almost got a glimpse of the thing's legs, which reminded him of snake hides.

Percy squinted and found the giant was almost human from the waist up and on each hand were a hundred fingers that were tipped with serpent heads, each of which had fiery eyes and spit venom, which explained why people were running away from his direction. He had massive leathery wings, long matted hair that smelled like volcanic smoke, and a face that was constantly shifting and changing so that it seemed like he had a hundred different faces.

"Typhon." Annabeth concluded. It was nice that they were already back to their old dynamic. Percy asking Annabeth about things he knew zilch about, and Annabeth giving him all the answers. He'd thought after forty-something years of fighting Greek and Roman monsters, he'd picked up more information, but somehow she's always the one with all the answers. "Our beach defenses were weaker tonight, so it was the perfect time for him to emerge. Curse him!"

Percy was reminded of his first great prophecy... Wow, It was really depressing that he'd been through multiple ones.

Last time, Typhon was Kronos' secret weapon to eradicate the gods at their source of power. There was no doubt that Tartarus had the same plan, except now the gods were even more divided than before. There were in a freaking civil war. Typhon would be able to tear them down in the blink of an eye.

"We have to slow him down." Percy declared.

"Percy, that's Typhon." Annabeth pointed her drakon bone sword in the monsters direction "He took down gods. _Olympian_ gods."

" _I_ took down an Olympian god." Percy argued.

Annabeth sighed, the grey in her eyes tight with concern "I already have a son down in Tartarus. I better not lose you too."

"We'll get him back, Wisegirl." Percy assured her "He's a tough kid. He'll make it out."

"How do you know that, Percy?" She asked.

"Cause he's your son." He reminded her "And anyone with Annabeth Chase's genes can do the impossible."

A smile tugged at the side of her lips. It was still hard for Percy to adjust to looking at her. She'd aged so much and he wasn't around to see that happen. Every time he had thought about her on the Queen Anne's Revenge, he just imagined her the way she was at their wedding, with strikingly blonde curls and a bright youthful face. What hurt even more was that the last time he'd seen Luke and Charlie, they were middle school kids. Now they were in college. Percy wanted to make the Arai, Akhlys and Nyx pay for all the time he'd lost with his family... all the time he'd lost with Annabeth.

They readied their swords and ran to Typhon. Percy whistled for Blackjack, hoping his trusty pegasi friend still remembered his calling.

 _You called, boss?_ Blackjack loomed over him. His friend appeared the same way he'd been the last time Percy was at camp. Pegasi don't age as fast as humans, which Percy was grateful for.

Percy and Annabeth straddled him "Get us to Typhon."

 _Oh no,_ Blackjack complained. _You never change, boss_.

Blackjack flapped his wings and strode towards Typhon. When they reached him, Typhon didn't even notice their presence. Either he didn't see them as a threat, or he couldn't see them at all, neither of which made Percy more relaxed.

The snakes on his fingers were spewing acid all over the place that the air smelled like a radioactive chemical lab. The monster spew a first blast of fire from his mouth. Blackjack quickly got out of the way before the ground where they'd been had turned into a smoking pit of ashes.

"Distract it," Annabeth ordered "I have an idea."

Percy obeyed. He got off Blackjack and tried to think of the best way to distract a hundred foot monster without getting stepped on, acid splashed or doused with flames.

He charged, dodging pools and fumes of acid while avoiding getting blasted by another breath of fire. As he reached the monster, Percy brought Riptide down on its foot, managing to slice off a talon.

Typhon stopped in his tracks. His face was too far to see, but Percy got this feeling that the monster was staring at him as if wondering how a small human managed to pluck off his massive talon.

Percy anticipated Typon's next move just before he struck. He dove to the side as Typhon's snaky fingers projected streaks of acid in his direction. A drop of acid got on Percy's finger, which immediately started burning, though the pain didn't last. Maybe it was because of the Achille's curse.

He stared up to see Blackjack flying near one of the electricity poles on Farm Road 3.141. Percy hadn't realized how far Typhon had advanced already. Annabeth swung her sharp blade at the lines at exactly the right angle for the the lines to touch Typhon, sparking and sending a jolt of electricity up the giant's backside.

Unfortunately, after experiencing Zeus' master bolts, the electric pole must have felt like a tickle for Typhon. It managed to slow him down for only a few minutes. He shook the line away and continued marching in the direction of the city.

"We're useless, Percy." Blackjack landed in front of him "Only the gods can stop him."

"If only I had water... or some reinforcements." Percy mumbled "How did the gods even kill that thing?"

"Well, last time it took Poseidon and an army of cyclopes to drown him." Annabeth said.

"What about the first time?" Percy asked. Annabeth rubbed her forehead for a second, then her grey eyes started sparkling the way it does when she has the answers to everything "You got an idea."

"We're gonna need Grover and Tyson," Annabeth declared "Combat isn't the answer."

"That leaves your favorites," Percy understood "Trickery, talk and delay."


	58. A Pair of Archers

**[A/N: Oh and Tom is also a sarcastic little sh*t. I mean come on... The closest thing to a father figure for him were Percy and Leo. Sorry this chapter took so long lol]**

"We have got to tell someone." Luke announced, still looking down at the pitch black void of nothingness.

"Aw that's a great idea," Tom said "Let's just go back home after our lovely afternoon stroll in _freaking Tartarus_!"

Luke straightened himself, away from the compelling pull of Chaos "Most of the monsters are up there fighting, so Tartarus should be empty now, right? All we have to watch out for are those other beings: gods, spirits... and of course the pit itself."

"Awesome." Tom smiled sarcastically "Except for the fact that we're walking on his skin."

"We'll be fine." Luke assured him. "Mom might have never told me about this place, but I've heard plenty stories." He pointed across the chasm "That way is the Mansion of Night. Back that way, are the Poison Meadows of Akhlys."

"We can't go through Night," Tom noted the obvious. He's helpful that way.

Luke sighed. He didn't like the idea of going through the meadows of literal misery, but it wasn't like they got a lot of choices. "Off to Akhlys we go"

They trudged along, leaving the chasm of Chaos behind. Even leaving the place felt uncomfortable. Maybe Chaos didn't have a face, but his immense radiating power was definitely there, tugging at Luke, wanting to draw him forward into the epitome of nothingness. He did not know what Khione had meant when she said that his parents visiting this place wasn't sitting well.

Luke tried to think of good things to keep his spirits up – the lake at Camp Half-Blood, the first time he'd won a Capture the Flag game. He tried to imagine home at New Rome, walking through the garden of Bacchus. But Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood both seemed like dreams.

He wondered how his parents had survived down here for so long without going insane... but then again, he was reminded by the fact that they were the most powerful demigods in existence. It was sad that most of the time, Luke related to demigods more than legacies since it was so hard to believe that Percy Jackson was a real mortal and not a god.

"This place is giving me the heebeegeebees." Tom muttered as the road ahead of them got darker and darker.

"No kidding." Luke replied.

Then the darkness dispersed. The area became less dark – not exactly light, but with more of a soupy white fog. In front of them was a clearing – a barren field of dust and stones. In the center, about twenty yards away, knelt a figure of a woman, her white colored clothes tattered, her eyes pure white and with a look of absolute confusion.

The two of them trudged forward. As they approached her Tom whispered "It's like I know her... I just can't remember from where."

It was weird he'd said that because Luke had also thought that her face was oddly familiar. He wondered about the possibility of this being a monster that can shape shift into someone you know, but the woman didn't have that vibe of a monster. She seemed genuinely lost and in need of help, and if she were some sort of shapeshifter, she would have been chosen a more specific body.

"Excuse me," Luke said as he got closer to her.

"Hardship," She muttered, not paying much attention to Luke "Starvation, wars..."

"Are you lost?" Tom asked. "Where are you headed?"

"They're gone." She continued muttering "All gone. Left me all alone."

The woman vaguely reminded Luke of a harpy... what was her name though? Bella? He was sure he was related to her somehow.

"Mom's favorites," She muttered to herself "Always were mom's favorites. Lies, battles, murders."

Tom gripped her arm "Ma'am, we can help you."

"Oh," She tilted her head, studying Tom's face like somehow it reminded her of someone "We've met before, haven't we? What was your name? I forget."

Tom hesitated for a second "It's... Tom. I'm Tom."

"No, no." She said "That wasn't it. It started with an A. Oh, I forgot."

"Have we met?" Tom furrowed his brows.

"Yes, yes." She insisted "In the Underworld."

Tom paused. "I don't– I've ever been to the Underworld. I think."

"Yes, you have." The woman insisted. "You came with your two friends. Or were you related? I forgot. Don't you remember?"

"I–" Tom hesitated "I– I..."

Luke's internal alarm system went off. Immediately he knew this woman was some sort of bad spirit, and he didn't want to stick around to know who or what she was, but she was definitely affecting Tom in some way. He grasped Tom's arm. "We have to go."

"Where are you headed?" She touched Luke's shoulder. Her skin was cold, her scent became stronger, for some reason reminding Luke of the Hypnos cabin. He felt like he knew who this woman was... It was on the tip of his tongue.

"Oh we've met too, Luke." She declared "Oh, but you had a terrible scar last time."

"A– A scar?" Luke asked.

"Right down your beautiful young face." She laced her finger down his cheek. "You stood at my river and vowed to come back again. At least _you_ appreciated my powers." She sighed "My brethren never did. They deserted me here, said I wasn't powerful enough to fight. Ugh... what do quarrels and manslaughter have that I don't? I can make someone forget _everything_ , can't I, Luke?"

"Luke?" He wondered why that name sound so familiar? It seemed like he used to know someone with that name before.

The woman chuckled with pleasure as she touched the boys' chins "The Jackson and Grace boys, the sons of the Hera's proudest accomplishment, which only happened thanks to _me_. She could have never fixed the Greek-Roman feud if she didn't remove their memories. But do _I_ get credited? No. Did _I_ ever get thanked? Never." She growled in anger "That ugly hag stole water from _my_ river, used _my_ powers of forgetfulness, then _she_ gets credited for solving the longest dispute in history... Bah! I'll show them how powerful Lethe's wrath can be."

"How?" The blonde boy asked in a daze.

"Well," She smiled with evil glee "I can start by turning your brains into a pile of mush. I bet a lot of people will miss you, won't they?"

In a span of two seconds, the woman raised her hand in attack, but was brought down to her knees. Lethe was down on the floor with a two or three arrows sticking out of her. One arrow had hit her right in the eye.

"Did you see that shot?!" A man's voice boasted. Luke managed to turn his head to see two guys high fiving. They couldn't be more than sixteen, though both had a bow in their hand and a quiver attached to their waists. The taller of the two had golden blonde hair and a radiant smile, while the other was about half as tall, with brown hair. "I haven't made a shot like that since The Battle of Manhattan!"

"Come on, we have to help those guys." The taller guy announced.

He ran to Luke and put his arm around his shoulder, carrying his weight. Lethe was still down, groaning in pain. He suspected the arrows being laced with some sort of poison because if she's as powerful as she claims, she would have been up already.

The two guys escorted Luke and purple-cloak-dude out of the fog quickly. Soon enough, Luke found himself on top of a ledge. At the bottom stretched a nightmarish version of the Grand Canyon: a river of fire cutting a path through a jagged obsidian crevasse, the glowing red current casting horrible shadows across the cliff faces. The heat got ten times more intense. Luke's face felt raw and sunburnt. Every breath took more effort, and his lungs rattled every time he did so. The cuts on his hands bled more rather than less. When did he even get those cuts?

"Where are we?" Luke struggled to speak.

"You're in Tartarus," The tall guy answered. He didn't seem to be affected by the weather of this Tartarus place. "My name is Lee. I can help get you somewhere safe. There's a shrine for Hermes down here, but we need to get you and your friend to drink something before we continue."

"Water." Luke moaned. He hadn't realized how thirsty he was.

"Well..." Lee paused "Almost."

Lee, Luke and the other two guys started climbing down the ledge. If it wasn't for Lee supporting Luke, he would have tumbled down and plummeted to his death in seconds. It became increasingly harder to hold on the more he exerted extra energy, like his body was rejecting being in this place.

When he reached the ground, he stumbled and fell. "What's your name?" Lee asked as he helped him up "How did you end up here?"

"I–" Luke hesitated. He wasn't sure how to answer those questions "I don't know."

"They were with Lethe." The short guy reminded Lee as he supported purple-cloak-dude "They're lucky they can remember how to speak."

They continued to stagger over slick glass ledges, around massive boulders, avoiding stalagmites that would've impaled them with any slip of the foot. Their tattered clothes steamed from the heat of the river, but they kept going until they crumpled to their knees at the banks of a fire river.

"Drink." Ordered the short guy.

"It's fire." Purple-cloak-dude noted.

"It'll help you stay alive around here." Lee said "Trust me, I used to be a healer."

It seemed like Luke had no other choice. His vision was getting increasingly blurry. His throat felt blistered, and his stomach was clenched tighter than a fist. Those guys had saved them from Lethe. He could trust them, couldn't he?

Luke thrust his hands into the river. On first contact, the fire felt cold. He cupped the fiery liquid in his palms and raised it to his mouth.

At first, he tasted nothing but then his sinuses filled with liquid flame. His mouth felt like it was being deep-fried. His eyes shed boiling tears, and every pore on his face popped. He collapsed, gagging and retching, her whole body shaking violently. He vaguely felt Lee's hand keeping him from moving, maybe drowning in the river.

Finally, the convulsions passed. He took a ragged breath and managed to sit up. He felt horribly weak and nauseous, but his next breath came more easily. The blisters on his arms were starting to fade and he was able to stand up on his own, without Lee's help.

"Let's get those guys somewhere safe before Lethe finds them. Even my wicked aiming won't keep her down forever."

As they continued to travel upriver, Luke tried to think about who he was and what he was doing here, though he still couldn't figure it out. It felt like trying to solve a 10,000 piece puzzle without even having any of the puzzle pieces. He just knew that the purple-cloak-dude was affected the same way he was, so they could have been friends or partners.

After a few hundred yards and another couple of gulps from the spicy fire water, they reached the top of a ridge. Below them, in a sheltered depression like a moon crater, stood a ring of broken black marble columns surrounding a dark stone altar. They climbed into the crater and entered the circle of columns.

"You guys can get some sleep." The short guy said "We'll take first watch."

Purple-cloak-dude didn't argue. He started to take off his golden breastplate, revealing a purple shirt underneath.

"Wait," Luke said "What happened to us?"

"Michael and I found you with Lethe, goddess of forgetfulness," Lee said "Your memories are... compromised."

"Can we un-compromise them?" Luke asked.

"Maybe there's an answer in the Underworld" Michael said "But, you do _not_ want to be there right now."

"Why?"

"Those stupid dark gods are raiding the dead." Michael complained "Apparently, they need more legionnaires to fight the war since their precious monsters were destroyed by some guys named Jason Grace and Leo Valdez."

Pruple-cloak-dude hesitated "I know those names."

"Maybe you knew each other in the real world." Lee speculated.

"Are you two the only ones who escaped those dark gods?" Luke asked.

"Some hunters are around here too," Lee remembered "Zoe and Phoebe and others. Some heroes too. Michael and I are brothers so we stuck together."

It was hard to believe that they were brothers since they looked so different, but something about their powers in archery indicated that they were related.

Purple-cloak-dude continued to take off the rest of his armor and tried to get comfy on the marble stone but as he laid down he winced "Ow," He dug his hand in his pant pocket and produced a pointy long vial, that seemed to have some sort of dark liquid squishing around in it.

"Whoa." Lee's eyes widened "How'd you get that?"

"Um, I can't remember" Purple-cloak-guy answered. Lee got closer to inspect the vial "Is it important?"

"May I?" Lee grasped the vial, opening the lid. He sniffed it and immediately a smile formed on his face "Michael, this is from the Mnemosyne."

"You're kidding!" Michael said, "Man, these guys are lucky."

"Drink it," Lee ordered. Purple-cloak-dude did as he was told. He didn't look any different afterwards so Luke had to assume that it didn't taste as bad as the fire water.

"So?" Michael asked "You remember anything? What's your name?"

"Uh," He scratched his head, something about his facial expression indicated that the weird potion was working "I'm Tom Grace, praetor of Rome."

Lee and Michael exchanged confused looks. Luke was also confused because Tom did not look Italian. He wasn't even sure what praetor meant.

"Wait, I remember now." Tom said "Luke, you have water from the Mnemosyne too."

Luke felt weary. He dug his hand in the folds of his pant pocket finding the same pointy vial. He opened the lid and drank the black liquid.

It tasted like cranberry juice. At first nothing seemed to happen. He didn't feel any different, nor did he feel a rush of memories.

"Did it work?" Lee asked "Who are you?"

"I'm Luke Jackson," The answer flowed right out of his mouth.

"Jackson?" Michael raised his eyebrow "You don't happen to be related to Percy Jackson by any chance."

"Uh," Luke thought about that. Immediately he thought of an image of a bearded middle aged guy, with sea green eyes and a kind smile "He's... He's my dad."

"Holy Hera," Lee exclaimed while grinning as hard as he could "Percy has a kid! Dude, we saved Percy's kid."

"Wait, wait," Michael stopped him, clearly thinking of something more important "Who's your mom? Is it Rachel?"

Luke felt a rush of more images and names. "What? No. My mom is Annabeth."

"I KNEW IT!" Lee raised his hands triumphantly then he looked at Michael with an eyebrow raised "Rachel and Percy... pfft."

"They were seeing each other the summer before the Battle of Manhattan." Michael shrugged "I just assumed."

"Well you assumed wrong, pay up!" Michael sighed and handed Lee a couple of drachmas.

"You were betting that my dad was gonna marry Rachel Dare? The oracle?" Luke asked.

"She's an oracle?" Lee asked Michael "I thought she was just a mortal."

"Uh yeah, she's our camp's oracle" Luke said "Who are you guys?"

"I'm Lee Fletcher," He said "And this is Michael Yew, former head counselors of cabin seven."

"So you guys are from Camp Half Blood." Tom concluded.

"Yup, but I've never heard of a Grace or a Valdez." Michael admitted.

"They were two of the seven," Luke explained "Just like my mom and dad."

"What are the seven?" Lee stared blankly.

"Oh you guys have missed a lot!" Tom chuckled as he proceeded to tell them about the second giant war.

Meanwhile, Luke glanced around the Hermes shrine. He'd realized that he'd never met the messenger god, but a part of him some kind of connection to this place. Maybe it was because he read that this place is directly related to camp, but it was more than that.

Luke recalled his encounter with the goddess of forgetfullness. He remembered her words... _you had a terrible scar last time._ The weird thing was that Luke had never had a scar on his face before. He'd never even met Lethe.

"Whoa," Lee said breathlessly "I knew Annabeth was brilliant, but finding the Athena Parthenos? That's just insane."

"And Percy having a nosebleed?" Michael said "Classic."

"I hate to be the guy to stop this conversation," Luke admitted "But Tom, what's our plan here?"

His shoulders slumped "I don't know. Every time we walk, a goddess tries to kill us."

"But you got _us_ now," Michael boasted "We'll help you get to the mortal world if that's what it takes."

Tom and Luke exchanged a look. Without saying anything, both of them knew that they were led to Tartarus for a reason, maybe to be put in Khione's path, or with Michael and Lee, but whatever it is, their work isn't done just yet. They have yet to find out who that third person is supposed to be.

"Not yet," Luke announced "We have work to do here."

Tom rolled his eyes and muttered to himself a few curses, most of which were directed at how Luke was the idiot that would get him killed.

"Any idea on where to go?" Lee asked.

"When mom and dad were stuck down here," Luke recalled "Their goal was to get to the heart of Tartarus. Why don't we start there?"


	59. A Labyrinth Again

"B-But," Grover looked like he was about to throw up. "I-I can't."

"It'll be fine," Annabeth assured him. She glanced at the skyline of New York city for the first time in years. It looked absolutely gorgeous from the view of the NYC Transmitter Park. She hadn't realized how long it has been she's even been to the city.

Unfortunately, if they didn't move fast, New York city would soon seize to exist. "Typhon has to pass the East River in order to get to Olympus. This is the only way."

"Oh," Grover complained "I hate your plans."

"Is the park clear?" Annabeth asked, ignoring Grover's anxiety attack.

"It's 1am," Percy said "No one's here"

A blast of wind blew at Annabeth's hair. She turned around and saw Typhon's storm approaching in the horizon. "Okay, everyone to their post." She looked at Grover "You got this."

Percy ran to his hideout near the river while Annabeth, Tyson and his friends, Milo and Evie, made themselves comfy on Grover's left flank. Annabeth had her dragon sword in hand, ready to help Grover if needed.

Annabeth felt the ground shake beneath her and the trees smolder in the distance as Typhon drew nearer. Grover took a deep breath and began playing a song on his reed pipes, which sounded a lot like _Over the Rainbow_ from the Wizard of Oz movie. The melodies were like sunlight in the morning and a cool stream trickling through the woods. For a second, it made Annabeth forget about where she was.

"Please, please," Annabeth muttered as she saw the pools of acid quickly approach Grover's path.

Then, suddenly, the clouds stopped moving. Annabeth could see Typhon's body a few feet away from where Grover was sitting.

Grover didn't stop playing his music. For a few moments, the world was silent except for the burning wake of destruction behind the giant, and the sweet music of the panpipes. The storms around Typhon slowly became less and less violent, eventually receded back to reveal the monster's true form.

That was the first time Annabeth gazed at Typhon's true shape, and even then, she couldn't fully describe how he looked like. It seemed that his legs were coils of vipers that would hiss and attack as he moved. His body had hundreds of different wings on it and his hands were made up of snake coils that perfectly matched his eyes were glowing red and were absolutely terrifying, making Annabeth glad that Grover had his eyes closed.

The monster's eyes lulled as Grover's song continued. Typhon's force field of storms had made its way from a category five hurricane and wild fires to a few strong breezes.

"Now" Annabeth mouthed to Percy and Tyson. They both nodded and got to work.

Percy dipped his feet in the East river and started lifting gallons of water, drawing them near the sleepy monster. The water started tricking around Typhon's lower half, slowly encasing his entire body with water. Grover was still playing his music and Typhon's eyelids still drooped until he was sound asleep.

Percy continued flowing water right from the river onto Typhon, till his whole body was covered with flowing water. Percy raised his hands and closed his eyes in concentration. Annabeth saw the water slowly start freezing all over Typhon. In a matter of seconds, the storm giant was snoring away in his blanket of ice.

Grover stopped playing the panpipes and opened his eyes. He heaved a sigh of relief in response. Annabeth joined Percy and hugged him.

"That was amazing." She whispered.

"I can't believe I've never thought about controlling water into ice before," He complained.

"Ice is water, seaweed brain." Annabeth teased him.

"Shut up, wise girl." Percy took a breath "Okay, now what?"

"Now, Tyson and his friends can get to work." Annabeth turned to her brother-in-law, who had a huge grin formed on his face. "The Labyrinth entrance is right over there." She pointed at the clearing, near a few oak trees that haven't caught fire due to Typhon's freak storm.

"Let's do this brothers," Tyson said in a hushed voice as he gripped Typhon's left shoulder. Evie took the other shoulder, while Milo took care of Typhon's bottom half. Then, in one swift motion, the three of them carried the giant off the ground and proceeded to march towards the entrance.

Grover started playing melodies again, to ensure Typhon would stay down for the trip, and took the lead to the underground maze. Annabeth unsheathed her sword and joined Percy at the end of the pack.

Tyson and Eevie slowly eased the sixty foot giant into the maze. The small entrance's magic had anticipated Typhon's arrival and enlarged to the size of a cave entrance. Percy gripped Annabeth's hand as they both followed everyone underground.

"Remember the last time we were down here?" Percy asked.

She did. She remembered the prophecy that said a child of Athena was supposed to die. She remembered Kampe chasing her and her friends. She remembered Kronos waking, thus taking over Luke's body for good. She remembered Daedalus dying. She remembered The Battle of the Labyrinth, where she lost childhood friends. Nothing about this place made her want to remember it.

"I'd rather not," Annabeth chuckled. "So much bad stuff happened down here."

"One good thing happened though." Percy smiled. Annabeth wasn't sure what he meant by that. "We shared our first kiss here."

For years, she'd chided herself for making that move at Mount St. Helens, where she pulled in Percy for a kiss right before he proceeded to explode the entire mountain. Now, Annabeth managed to smile at the memory.

"That was so long ago." She said "How old were we? Sixteen?"

"Fifteen." Percy said "Can you believe it?"

"No," Annabeth stopped in her tracks. Percy turned to face her. "We lost so much time, Percy. I- I don't know what's gonna happen tonight. This is bigger than anything we've ever seen."

He placed his hand on her cheek. His touch was warm against her cold skin. She raised her eyes to meet his "We'll make it out of this, Wise girl. I promise."

"How are you so sure?" She asked.

"Because I know _us_." He interrupted her "There is nothing that the Jacksons can't do." Annabeth started smiling. "What?" Percy raised his eyebrow skeptically.

"You've never called me a Jackson before." She said.

Percy leaned over and kissed her. "Without you, Jacksons wouldn't even exist. Especially me."

Annabeth felt her eyes get teary but she kept it together "We should get going before we lose them."

"So," Percy cleared his throat as they continued to walk "How does Grover know his way around this place anyway?"

"Oh," Annabeth remembered "You weren't here for that. Fauns and Satyrs use the Labyrinth for their everyday uses now. This is how they're able to transport to parks and natural reserves so quickly around the states."

"I'm surprised to see that satyrs managed to even agree to go underground."

"It definitely took some adjusting." Annabeth recalled "Chuck started the idea of wanting to utilize this place. The first thing they found was this huge wildfire underneath the entire state of California. That's actually what caused the droughts all those years. Anyway, every satyr now knows the maze by heart, especially after the Hecate campers managed to control most of the mist that made people get lost around here."

"Impressive."

"Percy!" Grover hissed, careful not to wake Typhon "Annabeth! We're here."

Percy shuddered as he took a huge whiff of the sulfurous air radiating from far ahead. "Never thought I'd be back here ever again."

Annabeth gripped Percy's hand tighter "Me neither."


	60. An Attack of the Curses

**[A/N: Haven't posted in a little while. Summer just started and I was taking it easy for the first time in MONTHS! More chapters coming your way guys!]**

Tom walked in a daze, trying not to think about burgers and shakes from that new burger place that had just opened in New Rome. He watched the two brothers argue over what type of arrows are best, while Luke stumbled behind them, rubbing his forehead every once in a while as if he was trying to shake away a headache.

Tom related to that. It wasn't just the hunger and the Tartarus air. For some reason, after their encounter with Lethe, Tom couldn't get this killer headache to go away.

"Stop," Lee stopped in his tracks, which made Tom almost run into Michael. Lee looked from side to side, checking for which way to go.

Around them, the plains got darker and more spooky. Tom was too deep in thought about his headache that he didn't even notice the air getting colder and thicker.

Lee struck off to the left. They'd entered some sort of forest. Towering black trees soared into the gloom, perfectly round and bare of branches. The ground was smooth and pale.

All of a sudden, out of nowhere, Tom's senses were on high alert. He wasn't sure what it was, but he felt something wrong. He rested his hand on the trunk of the nearest tree.

Everyone turned and looked back in confusion. "What's wrong?" Luke asked.

Tom held up his finger to his lips for silence. He wasn't sure what had set him off. Nothing looked different. Then he realized the tree trunk was quivering.

A few yards away, another tree shuddered.

"Something's moving," he whispered. "Gather up."

Luke and Tom closed ranks standing back to back. Michael and Lee readied their arrows. Tom strained his eyes, trying to see above them in the dark, but nothing moved.

He had almost decided he was just being paranoid when the first monster dropped to the ground only five feet away.

The creature had a wrinkled hag with bat-like wings, brass talons and glowing red eyes. She wore a tattered dress of black silk, and her face was twisted and ravenous. In seconds, a few more like her circled Tom and his friends. Their eyes looked dead; their expressions were frozen, like a puppet's.

Michael grunted as another one dropped in front of him, and then another in front of Luke. Soon there were half a dozen surrounding them. More hissed in the trees above.

"What are you?" Lee demanded. "What do you want?"

 _The arai._ Tom tried to locate the speaker, but none of the monsters had moved their mouths. The voice seemed to come from within the forest itself. _And we want t_ _o curse you, to destroy you a thousand times in the name of Mother Night!_

"Night _again_?" Tom complained "We've had enough destruction from her."

The circle of demon ladies closed in for attack.

"Back off." Tom jabbed his golden sword at the nearest shriveled hag, but she only sneered.

 _We are the arai,_ the voice said. _You cannot destroy us._

"Don't touch them," Luke warned. "They're the spirits of curses. I've seen them before."

"You know how to defeat them?" Tom asked.

"Uhh," Luke's eyes widened as he turned his neck to face Tom "WATCH OUT!"

The nearest demon lunged at Tom. Her claws extended like bony switchblades. Tom cut her in half, but as soon as she vaporized, his chest flared with pain. He stumbled back, clamping his hand to his rib cage. His fingers came away wet and red.

"You're bleeding!" Lee cried.

 _Feel the pain you inflicted upon Turnus_. the voice of the Arai spoke. _So many curses have been leveled at you!_

Tom managed to get on his feet. The blood stopped spreading, but he still felt like he had a hot metal curtain rod sticking through his sternum. His sword arm suddenly became heavy and weak.

"If you kill one, it gives you a curse." Luke said as he backed away from another demon woman.

"But if we don't kill them..." Michael said.

"They'll kill us anyway," Tom guessed.

The winged hags pressed in, their breath sour, their eyes burning with hatred. Tom understood that they embodied the dying curses of every enemy he'd ever destroyed... but the thing was, he's never killed someone with the name Turnus before. Did the paperwork for Tom's curses somehow get messed up? Is there some complaint box he could use?

One of the demons lunged at Luke. Instinctively, he dodged. He brought his dagger down on the old lady's head and broke her into dust. It wasn't like he'd had much of a choice given that the demon woman would have instantly killed him if he didn't stop her, but instantly he dropped his weapon and cried in alarm.

"I- can't- breath" He tried to take a break, but it looked like it wasn't helping. It seemed as though he was drowning above ground. Tom tried to advance in his direction and try to help but his wound was too deep for sudden movements.

 _Ah,_ The arai spoke with satisfaction. _You have caused numerous deaths, Luke. You have spread so much pain and suffering. Let us repay you!_

Luke continued to choke above ground, gasping for air with no help.

 _You started a war._ The arai said. _Without you, hundreds of lives would have been spared, including those two standing there... This is exactly how one of them died, cursing you to die the same way he did. Suffocating and stifling._

Luke replied with more gasping for air. Tom was sure the wound in his chest was causing him to hallucinate what those arai were saying, because Michael and Lee were dead long before Luke was even born. There was no way he'd caused their deaths.

Tom didn't have more time to dwell on that. Leathery wings beat the air above him. Angry hissing and the scuttling of clawed feet drew nearer. He didn't have a choice except to swing his swords at them, inflicting more curses upon himself. He saw images of people he weirdly recognized, not just recognized... but people he had killed. He saw dozens of dead warriors in ancient Greek armor, covered in blood cause by his own sword. He saw even more in ancient Italian armor. He saw Lausus, as he dueled against him in vain. He saw Helen, who begged and sobbed for her life to be spared as he was about to strike her with his weapon.

Tom scurried towards one of the black trees and slashed his sword across the trunk. He heard it topple, followed by the satisfying crunch of several dozen arai as they were smashed flat.

He was just about to start searching for his friends when a winged demon descended in front of him, hovering over the void on her bat wings, just out of sword reach.

The arai's voice started echoing. _Your beloved has unleashed the ultimate curse – a most bitter thought from someone you coldly abandoned. You punished an innocent soul by leaving her in her solitude. Her most hateful wish has come to pass: You will feel her despair. You will feel the pain she felt as she killed herself._

"Who did I abandon?" Tom asked hopelessly. Nothing made sense to him. He knew those people in the visions. He remembered killing them so vividly... but that wasn't _him_. That wasn't Tom Grace. "I never killed– I never left any..."

Suddenly his stomach felt like it had dropped off the cliff.

The words rang in his head: _An innocent soul. Alone and abandoned._ He remembered her face, with its golden skin tone as if she'd spent her whole life under the rays of the sun. Her remembered her laugh, that laugh that could light up a whole room. He remembered her kiss... oh gods, how his insides twisted in knots as he felt her warm kisses.

The eyes of the demons blurred together like their voices. Tom's chest throbbed. He saw how many lives he'd taken. Those people had died because of _him_. Maybe he deserved those curses. Maybe he deserved to die, just as those innocent people did.

He closed his eyes and accepted his fate, slowly feeling the approaching cold touch of the demon woman.


	61. A Walk with Zhang

The Argo II landed atop of Half Blood hill. Despite the complete darkness of the night, the Athena Parthenos managed to provide a gleam strong enough to illuminate the entire hill, and with the addition of The Argo II's bright bronze hull, the place didn't need any more lighting.

Down on the battle ground, Porphyrion's forces were dwindling to double digits and there were no reinforcements in sight. Buff looking kids, who Leo assumed were Ares and Mars kids, took the lead in fighting the remaining monsters. Everybody else was too busy transporting the injured and moving lifeless bodies down the hill.

Leo's heart ached as he saw some of his younger siblings among those campers. It just wasn't fair that they were out there fighting without their powers while those pathetic Olympians quarreled about who's gonna take a stupid throne of the universe.

"You okay, Leo?" Piper asked with a look of concern. Her hand was in Jason's, exactly the way it used to be before all this crazy prophecy stuff started happening.

"Better than ever." He hid his frown with a wide grin.

Piper's look meant that she wasn't buying it but Jason interrupted by saying "We're going to the Big House to check in. You coming?"

"I need to fix up the Argo II before Tartarus sends more troops." Leo said "This ship is the only reason camp's still standing. No offense to you guys"

"You still need to see someone." Piper reminded him "You might have a concussion"

"And he still has a smoldering laceration all over his body, but you don't see him complaining." Leo pointed at Jason. Piper quickly turned her head accusingly at Jason which reminded Leo that Piper wasn't around to know anything about that.

"Actually..." Jason lifted his shirt. Where that deep painful wound has been was nothing but pale skin that definitely needed some more tanning. "It went away after we killed Porphyrion."

"So, what your curse is broken?" Leo asked, slightly jealous that his own curse hadn't broken so quickly.

"I think..." Jason shifted "I think that curse was just trying to lead me to back to my purpose. I guess, over the years, I had lost my way and I kept distracting myself from my real goals."

"Which are what exactly?" Piper asked, her tone curious.

"To save my family," Jason declared "And my home."

"You can start doing that by either helping me fix the hydraulic system down at the main engine, or the fractures in the first lower level, or the retractable oars could use some—"

"We get it, Leo." Piper stopped him "We'll leave." She gave him a long hug, a proper goodbye in case they didn't see each other again. Leo didn't want to believe that. He will see Piper and Jason again. They still have an entire lifetime ahead of them. Everyone of his friends was going to go back to their relatively normal lives after this whole invasion is over.

Jason took Piper by the waist and together, they floated down the Argo II.

"Alright Buford," Leo announced "I'm gonna need that status report. Stat."

While Buford went to work, Leo pulled a small mirror out of his tool belt. He glanced at his scalp and saw some bleeding underneath his hair. It must have happened when Porphyrion knocked the Argo II with that massive rock.

He put the mirror back and decided to check on that head injury later. The Argo II came first and, besides, other campers needed more medical attention than him. He can survive with a little bleeding.

Just when Leo started pulling out his essential tools, he notice that an eagle started hovering over the ship. It landed right in front of him and immediately as it did so, the bird's body expanded into Frank.

"Frank Zhang," Leo said "You must have sensed that I needed an extra pair of hands around here. Grab a wrench, will you?"

"How can you still joke at a time like this?" He narrowed his eyes.

"It takes talent." Leo grinned "What can I help you with?"

"You might need to sit down." Leo didn't like his tone, though Frank always had a pessimistic tone to him.

Zhang started to explain what had happened in the Big House basement since he last saw him, with the most recent—and apparently final— prophecy. Of course, he didn't forget to mention the newest revelation about Tartarus' final act: The surprise visit to camp.

Leo shuddered at the thought of fighting Tartarus. It took Leo's own life to defeat the sludge queen, Gaea. He couldn't even begin to think of who's it going to take to kill Tartarus. Unfortunately, according to that prophecy Frank had spouted, it looks that it's not even possible.

"Gods, Zhang," Leo shook his head "Can't you bring any good news?"

"Valdez, it's over for us." Frank concluded, his voice cracking "We better start saying our goodbyes before it's too late. Look I know you and I haven't always seen eye-to-eye on everything but we've grown so much over the last few decades and—"

"I'm going to need you to stop," Leo said "We are _not_ losing."

"Didn't you hear me?" Frank looked at him skeptically " _Demigods are defeated_. It literally says so in the prophecy."

"It might just mean 'demigods are defeated in a friendly game of capture the flag with the hunters after they kick Tartarus' stinking booty'. Come on, you know how those prophecies work."

Frank wasn't convinced "Just do whatever you need to do to cope with this. I'm gonna go look for Em and Bee."

Leo's mind went to overthink mode. He started to mentally calculate the statistic possibility that today might be the last day to see see his family. For so long, Leo and Frank's dynamic was that Frank was the paranoid one, while Leo tried to be the one to look at the bright side of things. Usually, it worked for Leo's favor, but right now, Leo had this gut feeling that Zhang is right. He needs to see the people he cares about before it was too late.

"Wait," Leo stopped him "I'm coming with."

"What changed your mind?" He asked.

"You are quiet persuasive, Zhang."

Frank looked at him skeptically but didn't argue "Who's going to repair the Argo II?"

"Buford can handle it," He said as he grabbed a rope and spiraled down to the ground. Frank joined him after transforming to an eagle and back to human. "Where are our kids anyway?"

"Dunno," He admitted as they both trudged along "I was in a basement since sundown."

The two of them walked down Half Blood hill, into camp grounds. He saw the volleyball court, completely deserted. Even the net has been stolen by a couple of Hermes kids, who Leo saw use it to trap a pair of Blemmyae. On his left, the forges were also quiet, but that wasn't exactly new. It had been this way ever since Nyx had humbled camp with a visit and cursed everyone.

Given the time of night, the amphitheater should have been completely empty. Instead, it was being used as a emergency center for the critically wounded, the ones who couldn't be transported all the way to the Asclepius temple.

"Could they be in there—"

"No way Jose." Leo interrupted his thought "We check _everywhere_ else, then come to the amphitheater."

They strolled right along, through the grasslands of camp, through the roads Leo had walked a hundred times before. He loved camp. It was his first real home ever, with real siblings, cousins and an old daddy centaur. It became increasingly harder to believe that prophecy was real. No matter where Leo's life went, camp seemed to be the only place that didn't change, the only place he could always come back to.

Down at the cabins, torches all around illuminated the place. Campers, or whoever was left with only minor injuries, gathered around the hearth's fire, taking a well deserved break.

Frank and Leo made their way among the group. It was silent and no one seemed in good spirits. Leo saw the many familiar faces: Travis Stoll, whose eyes stared without life into the fire while Katie, with eyes full of tears, tried to force him to eat. Laurel was there too, wiping flowing tears off her face as she sharpened her dagger. Dakota and Castor were sharing a drink from a flask. Julian sat with the Zeus kids, whose faces clearly indicated that they had lost a number of brothers and sisters tonight.

"Tio Leo," Charlie called. She sat at the back row and looked like she'd been in a heck of a fight. Her arms was full of cuts and blood. Her jaw, chin, and lower lip were one gigantic eggplant-colored bruise, something that definitely needed medical attention. Charlie sat next to her girlfriend, Silena, who didn't look much better. "Uncle Frank. Thank Athena you're okay."

"We're fine," Frank knelt down and made himself comfortable near her. "What happened to your face?"

"Yeah," Leo's paternal instinct kicked in "You should get some ambrosia or nectar to fix that up. It's definitely gonna leave a scar"

"Oh that," She touched it, as if she had forgotten about its existence "People at the temple and the amphitheater deserve the ambrosia a lot more that I do. This is just Polybotes' parting gift."

"What do you mean parting gift?" Leo asked.

"You're looking at the girl who took down the sea giant." Silena bragged.

"Well, me and Reyna" Charlie tried to act modest, though that didn't make Leo any less impressed.

"Are you kidding me, Jackson?" Silena chided "If it wasn't for you, this place would have been crawling with Telekhines and giant squids. Reyna only helped deliver the last hit. You were the one that defeated all sea offenses."

Charlie blushed, "What about you guys?" She asked, eagerly wanting to change the subject. "Any news?"

"Well—" Frank started to say, his tone indicated that he was about to spout the lines of that awful prophecy.

"Jason and I destroyed Porphyrion's forces" Leo quickly interrupted "And the hunters are joining us for reinforcements." Frank looked at him accusingly, though Leo stood his ground. No one should know about that prophecy. It will end whatever morale those guys have left, and he needed them to give their all, given what's going to happen next.

"That's great!" Silena said "The Amazons also joined us a few hours ago at the left flank. We might actually stand a chance against Tartarus and his minions."

"Hey," Charlie said, her tone more urgent now "Have you seen mom and dad? Or Luke? I haven't seen any of them since sundown."

Frank shook his head "I've been in the Big House."

"Last I saw them, they were fighting at the front lines on Half Blood hill." Leo remembered "I'm sure they're all fine. You Jacksons are hard to kill."

"I hope so," Charlie didn't seem to sure about that "I told Bobby to hang out in the temple. He seemed so exhausted after the fight, with his wound and all."

"Is Bee with him?" Frank asked nervously.

"Yeah, she won't leave his bedside." Charlie said. Frank immediately heaved a sigh of relief.

"What about Em?" Frank asked "Sam? Candice? And Tom?"

"I haven't seen Tom, but Emily is at the Ares cabin," Silena said "She's convening with the centurions about their plan of attack. You know how Romans are. They never rest."

Charlie continued "Candice was with the Hermes kids, resetting the land mines and booby traps around the perimeter. And Sam... I think I saw him at the amphitheater."

"Oh gods," Leo's heart raced "Is he—"

"No," Charlie stopped him "Gods no. You know that he can't sit still with his crazy ADHD. He's just helping the healers."

Leo's frayed nerves started to relax for once. His family was okay, and that counts for something.

"So," Frank eyes darted around "Is this... everyone?"

Leo took a look at the remaining campers. There couldn't have been more than fifty, all with bad cuts and scars and a heavily low morale. They were already in a bad shape without someone telling them that the worst primordial god in the worst was going to knock at camp's doors any second now.

"Other than the campers at the border," Silena said "That's everyone who can still fight."

"Gods," Frank shook his head "How many have we lost?"

"We haven't exactly done a headcount," Silena admitted "But we estimate about one hundred and fifty warriors..." She nodded at Travis Stoll's direction "Connor Stoll, Sherman Yang, Holly Victor and so many others."

"Anyone from cabin nine?" Leo asked, though he wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"A lot were injured." Charlie looked down, hesitating "I'm not sure of names but we... we lost Harely."

Leo was thunderstruck by astonishment and anger so palpable that he could actually feel it race down his spine and weaken his limbs. His mouth could barely form the word "How?"

Charlie hesitated even more "He... He was fixing Festus. The dragon was struck by a bomb that short circuited his insides. Harley said he was the only one who knew how to fix him. Just when he got the dragon working, a wolf attacked. Harely fought him but without a weapon, he couldn't do much."

"Leo, are you—" Frank started to ask.

"I'm fine," Leo snapped. He wasn't fine. He was far from it. Harley was Leo's young brother– His favorite brother. Festus should have been Leo's responsibility, not Harely's. If he didn't get knocked out at the Argo II, he would've been back in time to save him. This was all Leo's fault.

Before Leo's anger continued fueling, Nico Di Angelo joined them.

His black eyes pierced Leo with the feeling that something was wrong. "Can I talk to you two?"


	62. A Reincarnation

The Arai had vaporized.

Michael and Lee shot arrows left and right, destroying one demon woman after another, somehow not suffering any crazy curses like Luke was. When Michael shot the Arai who had cursed him, he was able to breath again.

In a matter of seconds, the arai were gone. Most had been vaporized. The smart ones had flown off into the darkness, shrieking in terror.

Lee quickly ran to Tom's aid, who was on the floor and unconscious. Luke suspected that he must have undertaken at least a dozen curses. Luke had barely survived one, and that was only thanks to Michael and Lee.

Now that his mind was clear—or the clearest it could get down in Tartarus— he thought about those meaningless words the arai had spouted at him while he was choking. _You started a war._ They had said. _Without you, hundreds of lives would have been spared, including those two standing there..._

And what was weirdest of all were those flashes, seeing Lee Fletcher being taken out by the giant, seeing Michael fall to his doom from the Williamsburg Bridge. Those images were so vivid, as if he'd witnessed them himself.

Michael approached Luke and offered his hand. Luke hadn't realized that he was still on the floor.

"How are you two not cursed?" Luke took his hand and managed to stand on his own two feet, despite the exhaustion.

"We're dead." Michael said, though Luke didn't like his tone "We can't get any more cursed than that." Michael crossed his arms and glared "Mind explaining to me what those demons were rambling on about?"

Luke hesitated. What did that guy mean? It wasn't even possible that he was the one responsible for Lee and Michael's death. There must have been a mistake.

"Well?" Michael raised an eyebrow. Luke wondered how someone so short could be so frightening, then he remembered being around Coach Hedge. He certainly wasn't taller than Michael and that satyr could make Luke's knees wobble.

"Michael, I- I don't know."

"You seriously think I'm _that_ dumb?" Michael bellowed "You drank from the Mnemosyne. That officially made you _you_ again. The curses were allowed to put those curses on you because you could remember who you are... so, _Luke_ you got anything to say to us?" The way he said Luke's name, as if he wasn't even talking to him anymore, but an entirely different person.

"I swear I don't know."

"You might be Percy and Annabeth's kid now," Michael shoved him backwards "But even that wouldn't stop me from jamming that dagger inside of you again for everything you've done to us."

"Please, I—" Luke stared down at his own dagger. It's glowing bronze blade and its brown leather hilt. He remembered that early memory when his mom gave it to him. _No, but his name was also Luke._

Then, everything came flowing back all at once.

His mother's glowing green eyes as she spouted bits and pieces of his future. When he ran away and swore to never come back. The first time he'd met Thalia and saw her strikingly blue eyes. Their first kiss after killing their first monster together. When he'd thought he had lost her forever at Half Blood hill. When he'd gotten his scar at the Garden of Hesperides. He remembered that dream with the Titan Lord, urging him to join his cause. The multiple battles he'd led, the numerous people he'd killed, his dip in the Styx, his last moments of consciousness as he fully became the body vessel of Kronos, but most of all his death. Annabeth muttering _Family Luke, you promised_ , jamming that same blade into himself, making Percy Jackson vow to help all demigods, and leaving the mortal world. That is until he arrived at the Lethe and acquired his new life, as the first son of Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase.

In that moment, Luke's life fell completely in place. His undeniable feeling that he'd known Thalia Grace even before he officially met her, his legendary swordsmanship skills, the fact that Lethe had seemed so familiar. Luke Jackson was the reincarnation of the late hero, Luke Castellan, the same hero he'd always envied for having it so easy... only now he knew how much of an understatement that was.

He watched Michael Yew enraged and about to attack him. He looked exactly the same Luke remembered– Luke Castellan that is.

"Michael, stop!" Luke commanded "It's me. I remember, I remember."

Michael didn't hesitate. He'd already known this. He was ready to tear Luke from limb to limb for causing his death.

Thankfully, Lee Fletcher managed to stop him. He joined them, Tom unconscious over his shoulders. "Michael, don't."

" _Don't_?" Michael bellowed "What do you mean _don't_? That's Luke Castellan. The very person who killed me and you. Killed Beckendorf, Silena, Pollux and so many others I can't even name. He deserves multiple deaths for his crimes."

"That was his past life!" Lee urged him "He's a new person now. Literally."

"That doesn't mean jack squat."

"Luke Castellan didn't kill us, Michael" Lee exchanged a look with Luke "Kronos did. This guy is trying to save the world, to save us and get us back to Elysium. If you kill him, we'll be stuck in Tartarus forever."

"Why are you doing this?" Luke asked.

"Everyone deserves a second chance" Lee said as he adjusted Tom's weight on his shoulders "And this is yours. Maybe as Luke Castellan, you hurt us and betrayed us, but as Luke Jackson, you still have a chance to make things right."

He doesn't remember knowing Lee Fletcher much. There was the occasional meetings of the head counselors at the Big House, the alliances between the Hermes and Apollo cabins during Capture the Flag, but other than that, there wasn't much. Luke was touched by his forgiveness despite the lack of friendship between them. "Thank you."

"So what? We just forget our deaths?" Michael said, still enraged.

"If you want to leave," Lee shifted "You're more than welcome to, Michael but I'm helping these heroes."

"Hmph." Michael grumbled "I won't leave you, Lee but I'm keeping my eyes on you, _Castellan_."

Tom groaned on Lee's shoulders. Lee turned his head, but with that position, he couldn't fully face him "He suffered a lot of curses. Lots of bleeding. I tried my best, but without some ambrosia or nectar, it'll take a while for him to recover."

"Is he–" Luke gulped "Is he also a reincarnation? I've known him ever since I was a kid. Tom would never kill anyone."

"I'm not sure," Lee said "But by the number of arai that targeted him over _you_ , I'm willing to bet so."

"Great," Michael grumbled "By our luck we managed to save Luke Castellan and Hitler."

Lee rolled his eyes "Shut up." He looked at Luke and smiled, his smile as warm as the sun. "You ready?"

He nodded and they strolled along, out of the creepy meadow of the Arai, and on their path to the heart. Luke started to wonder who Tom used to be in his old life, and why the Fates had chosen to stick him in Luke's path. He really hoped he wasn't Hitler.

"So," Luke tried to break the tension, which wasn't exactly his best talent, neither as a Castellan or a Jackson "What happened to everyone at Elysium?"

"You still remember it?" Lee raised his eyebrow.

"It's fuzzy," He admitted "But, I remember seeing so many people from camp. How come it's only you two?"

Lee sighed and adjusted his grip on Tom. Luke silently wondered how he managed to find the strength to wander around this pit with a praetor on his back. "A lot of people escaped to Lethe. Whoever was left, well... there's a reason we prefer Tartarus over Elysium right about now."

"How come you didn't go to the Lethe?"

He shrugged "We figured it would eventually get better. People like Michael and me don't get lucky enough to go to Elysium twice."

There was a silence. Luke Castellan wanted to tell him that that was impossible and he was a great guy, but, as Luke Jackson, he learned that Elysium doesn't come as easily as stabbing yourself after letting the Titan lord almost take over the universe. It takes a lifetime of hard work and good deeds. Castellan just got lucky his first time around, but the Fates won't make it so easy for him after that

"You gotta tell me about everyone." Lee said, eager to change the subject and forcing a smile on his face "How are my siblings? There must be a whole new batch of them coming in every year. I can't believe I'm never going to meet them."

"Actually," Luke said "We haven't had any new campers since Apollo got married."

"Married?!" Lee exclaimed. Even that managed to got Michael's attention.

"It's been decades." He answered "It happened when my parents were like my age. Don't they have gossip magazines in Elysium?"

"I told you, the Underworld has been one messy–" Lee started to say but he was quickly interrupted by the scene before them.

A lake stretched out before them, a flat expanse of water that spanned beyond the horizon, perfectly reflecting the red clouds of Tartarus high above. On their left, Luke could hear the roars of the flowing fires of the River Phlegathon. The water of the lake seemed to feed those fires, making them stronger and more violent than they were when Tom and Luke visited them further downriver.

"Delta of Despair" Michael spoke, his tone glum. "The source of all the five rivers of the Underworld."

"It looks like water." Luke noted.

"All of the Underworld's rivers were born as nymphs," Lee explained "Eldest children of Oceanus and Tethys, which is why they're so powerful. This place, the Delta of Despair," He shuddered at the name, as if it gave him nightmares "Was where Tethys gave birth to the five of them."

"Why would the queen of the seas give birth in Tartarus?" Luke raised an eyebrow.

"Back then she was only a Titaness," He answered "Pontus had ruled the seas with Thalassa. Maybe they had drama... who knows with immortals."

"Still a bad place to give birth to five kids if you ask me," Luke looked around admiring the view of the calm water of the Delta "I thought Lethe and Styx were the daughters of Nyx?"

"Man," Michael said "Those ancient stories get mixed up so much. Who knows at this point?"

Luke didn't argue with that. "So why is this place named the Delta of Despair? It's the most normal place I've seen since I landed in Tartarus."

"Didn't you hear me?" Michael grumbled "This place is the source of the rivers of hate, forgetfulness, pain, lamentation and hell fire. Trust me, it is _not_ a good place."

Luke walked over, getting closer and closer to the lake. He noticed the beaches weren't shards of glass like it was on the banks of the Phlegathon, instead it was dirt, soil that would've impressed the kids from the Demeter cabin. The water was normal, he could already feel it making him stronger without even having to touch it.

He knelt down and extended his hand, his fingers approaching the water surface, ready to feel something familiar, something that could provide him with health. This water wasn't bad, it was just like the water from Long Island Sound beach.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A voice said. The sound of the being's voice was so strong, it seemed to wake Luke from the trance-like state that tugged him toward the lake's water. It was the voice of a man, somehow ancient and raspy, yet also normal and quirky.

Luke turned his head. He saw no one. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Lee asked. He had put down Tom on the ground and was tending to his bleeding. Michael was at his side, helping as much as he could.

"Nothing." Luke said. He stared back at the lake. Something had drawn him in, like a weird tugging sensation forcing him to touch this water, but who stopped him?

"So that's him, huh?" The voice said again. Luke turned and was struck to see a man in the middle of the lake. His face was thin and sharp featured with skin the pale yellow-green of a frog's belly. A long beard covered his chin. His clothes, or what remained of them, were in tatters and around his wrists and ankles were shackles bounding him to the center of the lake. The water reached up to his knees but the waves must have left his with burn marks, like acid burns/ "He's Tom, isn't it?"

"Who are you?" Tom drew his dagger.

"Ahh! And of course," He tilted his head and tried for a smile but it seemed his muscles weren't used to such emotion "Luke."

"Who are you?" Luke repeated, gritting his teeth.. The first lesson he ever learned was that he should never trust a stranger who knows his name.

"Relax," The man shook his chains "It's not like I can hurt you. My name is Aion."


End file.
